Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala
by ThorBringsTheThunder
Summary: (Obsolete)
1. Preview

"Hello, potential viewers!" Chris McLean said. "Are you ready for the most intense season yet? I hope so! Buckle your seatbelts, because it's going to be an epic ride on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala!"

 _-This is where the theme will go, once, ya know, there is one…-_

"First off, let's get the grand tour of the islands!"

* * *

 **Team Island: Tepid Turtles**

 _Members of the Tepid Turtles will be staying on_ _ **Terdohl Island**_ _, known for its marsh-like conditions and large amounts of fruit which will be necessary to stay nourished. Popular attractions include the Terdohl Island Swimming Hole, the Terdohl Island Water Pump, and the Terdohl Island Camp._

 **Team Island: Daring Dingos**

 _Members of the Daring Dingos will reside on_ _ **Dain'goh Island**_ _, a more coastal island with natural caves and great fishing spots. Popular attractions include the Dain'goh Island Cave, the Dain'goh Island Water Pump, and the Dain'goh Island Camp._

 **Team Island: Wily Wombats**

 _Those on the Wily Wombats will find themselves on_ _ **Wommbet Island**_ _, a rocky island with few areas of greenery, but breathtaking views and heart-stopping cliffs. Popular attractions include the Wommbet Island Lookout Point, the Wommbet Island Water Pump, and the Wommbet Island Camp._

 **Other Islands:**

 _Challenges, as always, will take place on_ _ **K'wala Island**_ _. Popular attractions include the K'wala Dock, Lake Gellafiche, K'wala Forest, Mount Gahkah-Dew, and the newly excavated K'wala Caves._

 _Elimination will now take place on_ _ **Verloor Island**_ _, at the Verloor Island Conclave._

* * *

"Looks good to me!" Chris said. "This year, in order to add more drama, we're also introducing Game Changers! These powerful advantages, when used correctly, could change the course of the entire competition- and there are five of them! Check it out:"

* * *

 _Game Changer 1:_ _ **Power Pilfer**_

 _-Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top eight, this advantage allows you to block the votes from two competitors of your choosing._

 _Game Changer 2:_ _ **Loser Two-ser**_

 _-Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top eight, this advantage will force a double elimination, eliminating the two competitors with the most votes._

 _Game Changer 3:_ _ **Friend Defend**_

 _-Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top four, this advantage will nullify every vote against the person of your choosing, other than yourself._

 _Game Changer 4: **Curse Reverse**_

 _-Playable as soon as you receive the Curse of K'wala, this advantage will allow you to give the curse to anybody else._

 _Game Changer 5:_ _ **Challenge Cheetah**_

 _-Playable at any post-merge challenge, this advantage will give you a massive advantage in the challenge._

 _ **If anybody with a Game Changer is eliminated, the Game Changer MUST be passed on to another contestant.**_

* * *

"And my favorite-" Chris started to say. Logan, his assistant, ran into the scene with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Your coffee," Logan said, before running off.

"Thank you! As I was saying, my favorite new twist," Chris announced, "the CURSE OF K'WALA!"

* * *

 _ **The Curse Of K'wala**_

 _This curse, which is disguised as a normal secret advantage, must be kept by whoever finds it. Whoever has the curse will receive extra tasks in challenges, disadvantages at the Verloor Island Conclave, and other negative consequences. When the person who has the Curse of K'wala is eliminated, it is given to_ _ **a random member of the other team.**_

 _Once the merge occurs, the curse will work differently. At first, one person will randomly be given the curse and suffer its effects in challenges and at the Verloor Island Conclave. However, they will be given a way out of the curse that changes every challenge- from voting out a specific person to performing a difficult task after a challenge ends- and if they can do it, the curse will be passed onto_ _ **the person of their choosing.**_

* * *

"And, of course, what would the season be without its contestants? Let's meet them now!" Chris said.

 **Males:**

Addie, The Kleptomaniac- Beastboycoolman15

Connor, The Unpleasant Hippie- Checkmate King

Drew, The Arrogant Conman- Skyn1nja123

Janson, The Flirtatious Dancer- JustTheClassicalGirl

John, The Passionate Guitarist- Liz The Sweet Writer

Kevin, The Pessimistic Writer- GirlPower54

Luke, The Theater Fanatic- Skyn1nja123

Michael, The Depressed Nerd- TotalDramaFan04

Spencer, The Silent Propmaster- Michaelfang9

 **Females:**

Abigail, The Sadistic Ex- GirlPower54

Arianna, The Two-Faced Girl- Omakin

Connie, The Comedienne- ThorBringsTheThunder (me)

Faith, The Strategic Socialite- Scooter37 (My Lil' bro)

Ilyria, The Secret Agent- Liz The Sweet Writer

Madeline, The Innocent Gymnast- JustTheClassicalGirl

Nikki, The Anti-Social Loner- CreeperGav

Renee, The Annoying Journalist- Scooter37 (My Lil' bro)

Ruby, The Shy Girl- Michaelfang9

"Well, it looks good to me! Until next time, this is Chris McLean, and this is Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala!"


	2. Ep1: A Re-Turn For The Worse Part 1

**A/N: "But Thor! You said this wouldn't be out until November!" I lied. Sue me. (Don't actually sue me- I got fired. Don't ask.)**

 **Other A/N: Please read Total Drama: The K'wala Islands before this. It's not very good, but it sets up for this story.**

 **Other Other A/N: Just a fair warning, there are a couple homo- and bi- sexual characters in this fiction. If you can't stomach that, don't read it, but don't blame me- I'm merely a messenger of this story.**

 **Other Other Other A/N: Enjoy!**

"We're ba~ack!" Chris McLean was standing on K'wala Dock, wearing tan shorts and a blue tank top.

"And better than ever." Beside him, Logan Thorne-Samuelson, his assistant stood. He wore a red tee-shirt and blue jeans.

"That's right! This year, we'll be bumping up the number of contestants to eighteen! And with a few new elements and surprises, this will be the best season yet!" Chris said.

Logan smirked. "So buckle up your seat belts, because this is…"

"Total!" Chris said.

"Drama!" Logan added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" They said together.

* * *

- _Theme Song: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)-_

* * *

"So, I know you're new at this, Logan," Chris said patronizingly. "So we'll take it easy. How about you introduce the first contestant?"

Logan rolled his eyes. Then he smiled at the camera. "Well, it looks like the first batch of hopefuls is arriving! Will one of them be the winner? Let's find out! First up… He's a savvy player who hopes to win for his hometown of Coburg, Germany! Please welcome Addie!"

Addie stepped into the camera's view. "Hello. Are you the new host?" He asked, shaking Logan's hand.

Addie wore a bright but crumpled white dress shirt and long ripped black track pants, which clashed horribly with his brown sandals. His odd fashion statement was further enhanced by the boy's long, black hair, which was tied back in a pony tail.

"No, I'm new here," Logan smiled grimly. "Chris is still the host."

"Oh. Too bad, he's a bit of a _Trottel,_ you know? A real buzzkill," Addie shrugged as Chris silently fumed in the backdrop. "I suppose I need to stand here?"

He motioned to a spot marked, _STAND HERE._ Logan nodded.

[Addie- The Kleptomaniac]

"Oh, wait!" Logan reached into his pocket. "I need to give you-"

"One of these?" Addie held a silver ticket, looking slightly worried. "You already gave it to me, remember?"

"No…" Logan said. "I must have forgotten. Anyway, stand there."

Addie happily complied, although you could still see a shred of nervousness on his face.

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"So… heh heh… I'm kind of a kleptomaniac of sorts. Not intentionally! Just sometimes, when I get carried away, I'll accidentally, er… borrow things. Usually I give them back, it's just… I mean, if I already have something, why not use it? That seems fair… right? I should be okay, so long as my teammates don't have expensive prized possessions, or watches, or shiny things, or- Wait, what was I talking about again?"

* * *

"So that was pretty decent," Chris said to Logan. "But you need to have more- more-"

"Chutzpah?" Addie suggested from where he was standing.

"Exactly!" Chris said. "Here, let me show you how it's done." He turned to face the viewers. "Next up, she's a shy bookworm who's never even heard the words 'social cue' before! Will this lack of public understanding affect her gameplay? Let's find out! It's Nikki!"

Nikki slowly entered the shot. She wore a red hoodie and black jeans, which accentuated her pale face, which wore a frightened expression. Nikki's blonde hair fell over one of her wide eyes.

"...Hi," Nikki approached Chris, who reached his hand out for a handshake as she went in for a hug. Nikki realized this a split second before and twisted, grabbing Chris' hand and patting his back with the other hand.

[Nikki- The Anti-Social Loner]

"Okay, then..." Chris said. "Let me give you one of these tickets before-"

Nikki had already begun to walk away, but she turned around, startled, at this. "What? Oh, yes! Of course! I knew that!"

"No, you didn't," Chris said, confused. "I just told you."

"I know!" Nikki said, "It's just- I mean- Sorry!" She grabbed the ticket out of Chris' hand and hurriedly stood beside Addie.

"Hi, I'm Nikki," she said quietly to the boy.

"I'm Addie. Hope we're on the same team," Addie shook her hand. "Oops, you dropped this."

He reached down and pretended to pick something up, when in reality he just transferred it from his pocket.

"Here," he gave a small item to her.

"My earring!" Nikki gasped. "I didn't even notice that I dropped it! How did you-"

"Lucky, I guess…" Addie said. "Looks like the next competitor is arriving."

* * *

Confessional: Nikki

"Addie seems nice. Maybe we'll be on the same team! Maybe he can help me with my… er… awkwardness issues…"

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Nikki is a little… weird. But at least we all know she's not a villain in disguise," he snickered. "And that's always a plus."

* * *

Chris "Our third competitor is a self-proclaimed seductive lounge singer born and raised in the bustling streets of Brooklyn! Will his talents pay off? Let's find out! It's Drew!"

Drew edged into the shot smoothly. He wore a black calavera tee shirt, blue jeans, and black combat boots. Around his neck was a silver chain, and upon his tanned face was a self-centered smirk.

"It's a pleasure having you," Chris said, shaking Drew's manicured hand.

"Pleasure's all mine," Drew said formally. "How's the hosting business been treating you?"

"Fine, fine," Chris replied. "Here, take this ticket and stand over there, 'kay?"

Drew nodded. "Sounds wonderful." He did as told.

[Drew- The Seductive Conman]

Addie watched as Drew pulled out a small box and dumped its contents, revealing a lighter and some cigarettes.

"Oh," Addie said flatly. "You're a smoker."

"Brilliant observation," Drew replied with equal monotony. "They should give you a gold medal- maybe you can sell at and buy some real clothes."

Addie just shrugged. "I've heard worse."

* * *

Confessional: Drew

"I came here to win, m'kay? So I'm not against making a few enem- _hey, where's my lighter?_ " Drew started patting down his pockets, finding little.

* * *

Drew turned his attention to Nikki. "Hey, Doll-face. Howzabout we blow this show and find a room?"

Nikki started to shrink away. "Um- Well, you see- I'm- Waugh!" Nikki tripped over her own feet and would have fallen into the lake if Addie hadn't caught her.

"She's fine, you sleaze," Addie glared at him as he righted Nikki.

"Fair enough," Drew raised his palms in mock surrender.

Chris interrupted them. "Hey! Focus, people! This is only an hour-long episode!"

"Can't you just edit this out, though?" Addie asked.

Chris ignored him. "Anyway, for our next contestant, comedy is a way of life! Will her social skills be her saving grace or her downfall? I suppose we'll know soon enough! It's… Connie!"

"...And so I says to Betty, I says-" Connie was speaking to someone off-screen. Then she realized where she was. "Oh! Hi everyone!"

Connie was wearing a baggy pink tee-shirt, white pants, and large hoop earrings. She looked vaguely Arabic, and her facial features were scrunched up in a dopey grin. "Hey, Chris! How much does a polar bear weigh?"

"Um… Excuse me?" Chris said, shaking her hand.

Connie shrugged. "Oh, I thought that'd be enough to _break the ice!_ Haha!"

In the background, a faint *ba dum tss* could be heard.

[Connie- The Comedienne]

"That's funny," Chris deadpanned. "You should be, like, a comic or something."

"Really?" Connie put her hands on her hips in mock surprise. "And here I was wanting to become a doctor!"

"Just go away," Chris said, handing her a silver ticket.

"With pleasure," Connie snickered. "Hey, everyone! Are you guys my competition?"

Nikki nodded. "We-"

"Yeah, but don't expect to see anyone for long," Drew cut her off, "because if there's one thing I hate, it's-"

"The well-being of your lungs," Connie finished, nodding at the cigarette in his hand. "Got it."

Drew fumed.

* * *

Confessional: Connie

"That KISS wannabe rubs me the wrong way," Connie folded her arms. "I'd hate to be on his team, but I'm sure I could handle him. They don't call me Comeback Connie for nothing, amiright?"

* * *

"You're laughing now, but I can't wait to see how you sink in the challenge," Drew retorted.

Connie grinned. "Yeah, if my head was filled with air I wouldn't be nervous about sinking either."

Drew fumed again as Addie and Connie high fived, then introduced themselves.

"Some tension already!" Chris said. "Will our next contestant add to it? He's a fact-aholic hailing from British Columbia! It's Michael!"

Michael trudged onto the dock with his head hanging down. He wore a plaid shirt with various shades of green and light blue jeans, as well as large round glasses. His skin was pale, but bruised.

"What's up, Mikey?" Chris gave the nerd his signature finger pistols.

"Poverty rates," Michael replied, still not looking Chris is the eye.

"No, I mean… What's _down?_ " Chris tried.

"Clean drinking water levels in third-world countries," Michael said in a monotone.

"I mean… What's _good?_ "

"Nothing," Michael grabbed the silver ticket from Chris' hand and moped toward the other contestants.

[Michael- The Depressed Nerd]

"Well, then…" Chris trailed off, struggling to put a positive spin on the contestant's entrance.

"Hi there!" Connie greeted Michael, before looking at his green tee. "Say, I'm jealous of that shirt! In fact, you might say I'm-"

Michael looked up and cut her off. "If you say you're green with envy, I will throw myself into the ocean."

His tone made it clear that he wasn't joking.

"Jeez, I was just making a funny," Connie said defensively.

Michael sighed. "I know. Feel free to not listen to my opinion."

Connie was startled. "No, I just meant-"

"Never mind," Michael hung his head again.

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I know what you're thinking- _That sad, pathetic, little nerd!-_ And you know what? You'd be exactly right. I'll be lucky to stay to the end of the week."

* * *

Confessional: Connie

"Man, that guy's down in the dumps! I wonder what his deal is, anyway? Besides, I'm not just trying to be nice out of the goodness of my heart- the more people that like me, the fewer votes I'll get, you know?"

* * *

"Leave me alone now," Michael mumbled.

"Sure thing," Connie replied, giving him some space.

"If that's… settled…" Chris struggled to find the right word. "Then let's introduce our sixth contestant. She's a fun-loving intellectual from New Brunswick- does she have what it takes to win? It's… Faith!"

Faith stepped into the shot. She wore a purple tank top and white shorts, along with stylish purple sandals. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and it matched her dark brown eyes, which were behind round glasses.

"Glad to be here!" Faith beamed at Chris. "Hopefully I can pull out a win!"

[Faith- The Strategic Socialite]

Faith joined the ever-increasing group of contestants. Then, she sidled up to Connie.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"My strategy right now is to recruit as many alliance members before anyone else thinks of it. Then, once the teams are divided up, I'll already be in the majority." She adjusts her glasses and smiles. "I'm playing the long-term game."

* * *

"Connie, right?" Faith murmured to the comedienne.

"The one and only," Connie whispered back. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to be in an alliance with me," Faith said. "How about it?"

Connie thought about it. "Hm… Nah."

Faith blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm good. Rather not be aligned, you know?" Connie shrugged. "Sorry."

Faith shook her head. "Er… Yeah, no problem…"

She sidled away and started talking to Nikki.

* * *

Confessional: Connie

"If no one is with me, it also means no one is specifically targeting me. Plus, alliances never work out. Ever."

* * *

"Do you want to be in an alliance?" Faith quietly asked Nikki.

Nikki was startled. "What?..." she processed what Faith had asked, as Faith stared at her pointedly. "Um- well, I… What I mean- but did… I'm so sorry!"

Nikki promptly burst into tears as Faith backed away. "Never mind, then…"

The shot moved back to the hosts as Logan passed Chris a five dollar bill. "Didn't think anyone would cry that soon…"

The former contestant faced the camera. "Contestant number seven is a guitarist from Toronto. That's pretty much it. Seriously, we couldn't find anything else on this guy?"

He turned to Chris, who shrugged.

Logan sighed. "Anyway, it's John."

John stepped into the camera's field of view. "Hey."

John wore an amber v-neck t-shirt and white shorts. His black hair was combed back and reached his shoulders, and his build was muscular but lean. A guitar was strung across his back. "Glad to be here."

Logan shook the musician's hand. "Likewise. Hey, have I seen you somewhere?"

John nodded. "I'm in this band, The Stormtroopers-"

Logan snapped his fingers. "Got it. Well, I'll give you this ticket, and you can stand over there, then."

John took the ticket. "Thanks, Logan."

[John- The Passionate Guitarist]

Nobody even looked up as John joined the group- Nobody, that is, except Drew.

"Oh, look, it's the walking stereotype," Drew snarked, taking a puff on his cigarette.

"What do you mean?" John asked, baffled and mildly offended.

"Let me guess, you were a shy and unassuming kid growing up, loved by your parents?" Dew asked, rolling his eyes.

"Well, yes, but-"

"And then at, I don't know, fourteen, your folks kicked the bucket?" Drew continued.

"Um, yeah, but-"

"And you turned to music as a way of grieving, helped by a famous relative?" Drew said.

"Yes, but-"

"And your strategy in the game is to lie low and make a few close allies?" Drew finished, tossing his cigarette into the lake.

John shook his head. "How did you guess that all?"

"Like I said," Drew brushed some dirt off his tee-shirt. "A walking stereotype."

* * *

Confessional: John

"Okay, the way he got all of that right is creepy. But enough of that. Hey, everyone. I'm John, from the Stormtroopers. Hopefully, I can do well enough to win- and hopefully that Drew character isn't on my team."

* * *

"Would _you_ like to be in an alliance?" Faith asked John as he approached.

"And prove Drew right? Nah," John shook his head.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Seriously? Why doesn't anybody want to be in an alliance? Does anyone understand strategy?"

* * *

"Our eighth contestant is a world peace advocate and environmentalist who dreams of having lots of fun- is what I would say if this were anyone else. But instead, it's… Arianna!"

Arianna skipped into view. "Hey, everyone!"

She wore a black and white striped shirt which accentuated her hourglass figure, as well as blue jeans. Her hair was in pigtails, which actually made her look more, instead of less, intimidating.

Chris shook her hand. "Just remember- you're still on parole, so-"

"Oh, I think I won't have any trouble being nice," Arianna replied, talking in a silky voice. She grinned a shark's grin. "Everyone here is so… unprovoking."

Chris was not convinced. "That they may be, but one slip up-"

"Are you doubting my willpower?" Arianna's voice went soft. Dangerously soft.

Chris paled. "No, no, of course not! I meant- you- go stand there please," he sighed, handing her a ticket.

[Arianna- The Two Faced Girl]

Arianna did as she was directed, before immediately walking up to Drew.

"Hey, pretty boy," she taunted. "Let's see those lips in action."

Addie, in particular, was startled by this development. "Wait, are you just going to- And, they're making out."

Arianna and Drew were indeed snogging, having known each other for about five seconds. Both of them had a venomous look in their eyes.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"As if I'm in love with someone I just met. But when you're me, you're a threat. And everyone needs a loyal puppy dog once in awhile."

* * *

Confessional: Drew

"An alliance partner is exactly what I needed, especially one who's infatuated with me. Make no mistake, though; when I need to I'll drop Arianna like an ugly baby."

* * *

Drew and Arianna pulled apart, after what seemed like hours to the other contestants, who were watching awkwardly.

"There's more where that came from, honey," Arianna said, smiling coyly.

"I can't wait," Drew grinned evilly.

"I can," Addie rolled his eyes. "Chris, don't you have a contestant to introduce or something?"

"That I do," Chris agreed. "So here she is! She's an aspiring ace reporter with a tendency to get the scoop, however she can! It's Renee!"

Renee shot into the scene like a cannon. Her attire consisted of a brown peacoat over a white dress shirt, a white frilly skirt, and a brown fedora with _PRESS_ written on the tag.

"Oh, I have some many questions!" Renee fumbled with her bag, pulling out a microphone. "Chris, what's it like to host this year? Are there any big changes? What have you taken from past experiences that you can-"

She lost her train of thought as she looked at Logan. "Oh! Logan, what's it like to assist Chris? How does it feel to place second in the overall standings? Are you concerned that people will see you as a villain when-"

"Easy there, Speedy," Chris put a hand on Renee's shoulder. "We were just introducing you to the viewers."

"The viewers!" Renee remembered. She turned to the camera. "Good evening, everyone! This is Renee DeLaney, ace reporter! I'm coming to you- well, not exactly live- from The K'wala Islands, where-"

"SHUT UP!" Chris and Logan yelled simultaneously.

"Okay, geez…" Renee sighed. "Don't shoot the messenger…"

[Renee- The Annoying Journalist]

"Just go," Chris sighed, handing the reporter a ticket.

Renee briskly walked to the others. She perked up when she saw Michael.

"Sir! Sir, a moment of your time?" Renee ran over to the depressed boy.

Michael looked up. "Why? There are many more interesting, smarter, funnier, more intelligent people than me. Unless you're writing about hopeless individuals with no future, in which case go ahead."

Renee blinked. "I was just wondering if you knew there was seagull poop on your head."

Michael was startled. "Agh, there is!" He tried to brush it off, to no avail, while Drew laughed.

"Of course this would happen to me…" Michael sighed.

* * *

Confessional: Renee

"Hello, everyone! I'm Renee, ace reporter, and I'm here to keep you updated on what's going on in the show! Why?" She tips her hat. "Because that's what a good journalist does!"

* * *

"While Mikey recovers," Chris snickered, "why don't we introduce our tenth hopeful! He's a professional mime from California- will his skills be useful to the team? It's… Spencer!"

Spencer walked into the shot. Unlike regular mimes, the only makeup he had on was black eyeshadow, black nail polish, and eyeliner. His hair was black and spiky, and it matched the polka dots on his white shirt, which was beneath a comically large overcoat. Spencer also had a satchel, and, for some reason, duct tape over his mouth.

"Hello, Spencer!" Chris greeted.

Silence.

"Okay…" Chris sighed. He stuck out his hand for a shake.

Spencer reached into his satchel, and after several seconds of rummaging around, he pulled out a large paper hand-turkey and stuck it on the host's hand.

"What the heck?" Chris asked as the others- minus Michael and Nikki- laughed. "Weirdo…"

[Spencer- The Silent Propmaster]

Spencer strolled over (after plucking a ticket) to the group. He gave a cheery wave, and though his mouth was covered, his eyes were smiling.

"Eek!" Nikki hid behind Addie. "M- m- m-"

"Dude, you're scared of mimes?" John chortled. He looked around to see everyone glaring at him. "What?"

* * *

Confessional: John

"I hope I didn't rub people the wrong way with that comment." He reached behind his back. "I'm not exactly a people person…"

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"John's kind of insensitive. I know from experience that fears can't be taken lightly."

* * *

Nikki kept hiding as Spencer slowly, silently, stalked towards her, coming closer with every step. He reached into his satchel, and-

Pulled out a balloon dog with a kindly expression. Spencer gestured for the shy girl to take it, and she did, with a trembling hand. The meaning was clear- _A peace offering._

"Thanks," Nikki smiled as Spencer stood beside Connie.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer

"..."

* * *

Confessional: Connie

"So Spencer's a comedian, eh? A smart one too- silent comedy is the hardest to master. I like him." She realizes what she has just said, and blushes. "I mean I _respect_ him!"

* * *

"Well, if that's all said and done," Chris said, "Let's meet _numero eleveno!_ He's a fun loving, energetic actor with more than a few tricks up his sleeve! Will they pay off? We'll soon know! It's… Luke!"

Luke leaped- literally, he _leaped-_ into the shot. "Hello! Bonjour! And Hola!" He said, gripping Chris' hand and shaking it vigorously.

Luke was slim but not scrawny and wore a black and white shirt under a trendy olive-green jacket. His shoes were high-end but worn out, as if Luke spent lots of time leaping- which, being an actor, was most likely accurate.

"Welcome, Luke," Chris' grin was unconvincing- it must have been the vein throbbing in his temple.

"Hello, world! It's me! Luke! A rising _STAR_!" Luke did a few pirouettes to prove this point. "I shall take the world by storm and conquer-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Get out of my face now," Chris said, thrusting a silver ticket into Luke's hand and practically pushing him away.

"Aw, phooey, I had a speech prepared and everything!" Luke scowled. He leaped away.

[Luke- The Theater Fanatic]

"Hey everyone!" Luke said. Only a few people returned his greeting.

Luke strolled over to Michael, "Ooh, you're kind of cute!"

Michael looked up and blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not saying, I'm just saying…" Luke waggled his eyebrows. "If you're interested, we could-"

"Nope, nope, and… nope," Michael replied. "Definitely not interested. Leave me alone. Please."

"Okay, Mikey-Bear…" Luke moonwalked away.

"Don't call me that!" Michael snapped.

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"For the record, I am one hundred percent straight, and one hundred percent _not_ wanting to be on that weirdo's team. I mean it!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Mikey-Bear needs to loosen up a bit. That does it! If we're on the same team, he'll be my project! I know there's a fun-loving kid in him!" Luke grins mysteriously.

* * *

"Ah! A fellow performer!" Luke said, noting the logo on Connie's shirt.

Connie nodded. "Glad to be in good company… Luke, right?"

Luke smirked. "The one and only!" He twirled as Connie giggled.

Neither of them noticed Spencer's suddenly angry expression or his clenched fists.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer

Spencer pulls out two chopsticks and fixes them together so they're parallel. He then places a marble in the gap between them and rolls the marble along the makeshift track- back and forth. He nods to the camera, and lets the marble roll of the track towards him.

* * *

"While Luke gets acquainted with literally _everyone_ ," Chris rolled his eyes as Luke started talking to the others, not without many leaps and pirouettes, "I'll introduce our next player! She's a gymnast and an animal lover from Kansas! How will she fare in the competition? It's Madeline!"

Madeline hesitantly stepped into the shot. "Hi, guys..." The gymnast was rather attractive, with radiant pale skin, blue eyes, and a skinny build. She wore a white tank top under a pink jacket, which matched her pink miniskirt.

"Say hi to the cameras, Maddie!" Chris said after shaking her hand.

"Oh, um… Please don't call me Maddie…" Madeline said. "Thanks…."

[Madeline- The Innocent Gymnast]

"Sure…" Chris rolled his eyes. "Take this ticket and stand over there with the other losers- I mean competitors."

Madeline did but shrunk away when the others 'closed in' on her, so to speak.

"Hello…" Madeline said. She immediately turned to her left to see Nikki. "Hi…"

"Hi…" Nikki rubbed her arm, realizing how awkward the situation was. "Er… Do you like _Professor When?_ "

Madeline perked up. "Yes! Wait… what's your opinion on them bringing in a male professor instead of a female one like the last four seasons?"

Nikki bristled. "I don't like it one bit…"

"Oh… never mind, then…" Madeline walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki

"Just when I thought I made a friend… Darn it, Nikki…"

* * *

Confessional: Madeline

"I hope I wasn't too mean there; it's just that I'm very passionate about _Professor When…_ You know, the time-traveling English teacher? It's pretty good!"

* * *

Confessional: Drew

"What a bunch of geeks. Ha! I've seen _Professor When,_ and it's-" He pauses. " _I mean-"_

* * *

"Would _you_ like to be in an alliance?" Faith stalked over to Madeline, who let out a small yelp of surprise. "I've asked, like, everybody here already."

"Oh, well…" Madeline hesitated. "Maybe we should wait until the teams are announced. We'll see…"

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Am I being too aggressive?" She leans into the camera menacingly. "AM I?"

* * *

"You can take this one," Chris nodded to Logan, who was typing on his phone.

"Gimme a sec, I'm texting my girlfriend," Logan said, barely looking up.

"Oh, okay," Chris nodded, like that made sense. "Wait- _Girlfriend_? Who?"

Logan shrugged. "You wouldn't know her." He put his phone in his pocket. "Our next contestant is a go-with-the flow kind of guy. He's homeschooled! He's assertive! He's… Connor!"

Connor stepped into the camera angle. He had _long_ hair- all the way to his waist. In addition, he wore a tie-dye shirt, and what looked to be homemade pants and sandals. "Hey, dudes."

He walked up to Logan, and was about to give him a handshake when he stopped. "Brother, your glasses are ugly."

"Pardon?" Logan glared at his verbal abuser, fixing the aforementioned glasses.

"I'm just saying what you need to hear is all," Connor skipped the handshake and took a ticket from Logan. "Helping a brother out."

[Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie]

"Hey, my brothers and sisters," Connor made a 'peace' sign with his fingers. "How's it- Oh, I don't like you."

This comment was directed at John who was baffled. "What? Why?"

Connor shrugged. "Speaking for the people. Your vibes are really negative- kind of a bitter cauliflower taste."

"You're tasting my vibes," John deadpanned. "Okay, well-"

Connor cut him off. "You know, negative vibes taste almost exactly like those of someone who has something to hide- actually, there are a couple of those people here, too."

Several people (including Chris) coughed simultaneously, drawing some odd looks.

* * *

Confessional: Connor

"Everybody hates an honest man, people. That's the truth right there."

* * *

"Moving on," the host said loudly. "For our next contestant, competing is a family affair! You met her on _Today Show,_ and you're meeting her again! Pearl's soon-to-be famous sister… Ruby!"

Ruby nervously walked on the screen. She looked exactly like her sister, Pearl- red hair and a slim figure. Unlike her sister, Ruby wore a blue shirt, white shorts, and blue flip flops.

"Hi, everyone…" Ruby smiled lightly. Her smile, though, faded, when she scanned through the other contestants. "Where's Gabriel?"

Chris looked up at her. "Him? Oh, he got in a bus accident in Taiwan. _Apparently,_ saving orphans' lives are more important than competing here! Man, the nerve of some people…"

"Oh dear… Gabriel said he would protect me…" Ruby sniffled a little. "I guess I'll make do by myself then…"

[Ruby- The Shy Girl]

Ruby hesitantly grabbed a ticket and stood with the others. Arianna and Faith immediately walked up to her, but Faith arrived first, so Arianna edged away.

"You're not by yourself," Faith whispered. "Would you like to be friends?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "I've never had friends before… Okay!" She smiled.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

" _Finally,_ a potential alliance member! That being said, I don't want to rush this. With only four contestants left to introduce, I can't afford to try and get any more allies."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Faith is really nice! I'm glad I'm her friend- Pearl told me that the key to winning the game is playing socially. Though she did get out second and her only alliance was with Logan, the season's villain…"

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Dang… Faith beat me to her. I was hoping for another solid ally- what with Drew wrapped around my pinky. Ah, well, one will need to be enough for now…"

* * *

"Next up is player number fifteen!" Chris said. "He's a lithe dancer from Signapore! Will his athleticism be seen as an asset or a threat? We'll know soon! It's… Janson!"

Janson sauntered into the shot, taking his time and smirking. "It is my esteemed privilege to be here."

The teen wore a suit that would make any billionaire jealous. His hair was combed back and under a top hat, and he swung a cane. Everything about him screamed, _Expensive!_

"Glad you could make it," Chris nodded. "Sir." He added with an afterthought.

Janson laughed good-naturedly. "Oh, no need for that, my good man. My ego doesn't need the fuel. Janson will do."

[Janson- The Gentleman Flirt]

"Well, Janson," Chris said, handing the gentleman a silver ticket, "Do you mind standing over there? That is, if you don't mind associating with the common mongrels."

Janson gave another formal laugh. "Of course not! You must take me for a narcissist, but I insist that I am a man of the people!"

* * *

Confessional: Janson

"...Or, to be more accurate, I am a man of the people _when they are looking_. You see, despite my jovial demeanor, I am willing to lie, steal, and, yes, flirt, my way to a victory. Will I succeed? Time shall tell, shan't it."

* * *

"Well, hello, gorgeous," Janson said, walking towards Madeline. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Janson Marlick, and you have made my day merely by being here."

Madeline blushed. "Thank you…I'm Madeline" She looked away, and Janson flashed the camera a malicious grin.

"What a beautiful name, fit for a beautiful woman such as yourself," Janson bowed, and Madeline giggled.

* * *

Confessional: Madeline

"I've never been in a relationship before… Hopefully, Janson and I are on the same team!"

* * *

Confessional: Drew

"That Janson guy's work puts my flirting to shame. But heck, he could be a potential ally down the road."

* * *

"Only three to go!" Chris said. "Could our next player be the winner? She's a hot-headed Brit from… Britain… Man, I should've thought that out better. Anyway, it's Ilyria."

A girl- presumably Ilyria- entered the camera's view. Her eyes were crystal blue, contrasting with her monotone outfit- a white blouse, white tights, a skirt decorated with the British flag, and dull beige boots. Her hair was tied back in a bun- everything about this girl seemed to be serious.

"Chris," she greeted Chris curtly, in an icy British accent.

"Ilyria!" Chris greeted back with much more enthusiasm. "How's it going?"

"Fine," Ilyria nodded. She shook Chris' hand, squeezing it so hard he shook it out afterward. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

She walked past the other competitors without a word.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

Ilyria entered the confessional quickly. She pressed a button on her watch and started to speak into it. "Day one. Suspect has not appeared yet. May be delayed, or… I may have been wrong. No, no, I cannot afford to think like- THERE'S A CAMERA IN HERE?!" She stares at the camera in shock and horror. "Oh, no…"

* * *

[Ilyria- The Secret Agent]

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

Ilyria is looking at the camera now. "Well, I suppose the cat's out of the bag. Luckily, nobody will review this footage until much later, so I may as well tell you this- I'm an undercover HAP operative working to eliminate the evil that wishes to destroy Chris McLean. And I will not rest until I do."

* * *

Ilyria stalked back to the host, plucked a silver ticket from his fist, and stood beside the other players. Unbeknownst to her, Addie was staring at the back of her head.

He slowly approached her from behind. "Hel-"

That's all he got out, because, at that moment, Ilyria turned around and judo-flipped him onto the dock. When the dust settled, she was pinning him to the boards, one knee pressed against his throat.

"Oh," she relaxed. "I thought you were someone else."

Addie brushed himself off and stood up. "Well, I'd hate to see what you would do to that guy. I'm Addie, by the way."

Ilyria's expression softened. "I'm Ilyria."

"Hey, is this yours?" Addie asked. He pulled out her watch from his coat pocket, and Ilyria immediately snatched it up. "It must have come off when you, you know, attacked me."

"Yes," Ilyria eyed the kleptomaniac curiously. "It must have…"

* * *

Confessional: Addie

" _Blöd,_ Addie! Why did your stupid habit have to act up _now,_ of all times!"

* * *

"Note... to... self…" Chris wrote down on a notepad. "Do… not… anger… British girl." He looked up. "Our second to last player is a glass-half-empty writer who… I dunno, I'm kind of running out of material here…" Chris looked at the camera awkwardly. "So… yeah, it's Kevin."

"What an introduction," Kevin clapped sarcastically as he was introduced. He wore a red and blue hoodie, blue jeans, and fingerless gloves, for whatever reason. He had a well-used notepad in his pocket. His cynical expression looked almost worn onto his face from use.

"Hey! I _said_ I was running out of material, okay?" Chris said defensively. "It's _hard_ coming up with stuff for eighteen people."

Kevin shrugged. "Sorry. That came out harsher than I meant it to."

"No problem," Chris shrugged equally, and the two shook hands.

"Let me start again. I'm Kevin Robinson, I'm a writer, and I'm autistic. I don't like pointing that third fact out because I'm either bullied because of it or given fake sympathy. So treat me like any other player." Kevin finished.

[Kevin- The Pessimistic Writer]

Chris gave him a ticket. "Well, normal person, please go stand over there with all of the other normal people- and Luke."

Luke act-raged. "I take mock offense to that!"

Chris ignored him as Kevin joined the now seventeen-strong group. Behind him, Faith was staring.

"You're staring…" Ruby pointed out.

"What?" Faith asked, still staring. Then she shook her head. "No, I wasn't."

"Do you like him?" Ruby bluntly asked.

"Yes," Faith blurted immediately. She then registered what she had said. "No! Definitely not! No!"

Ruby nodded.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Oh, she totally likes him. Not that it's any of my business…." For a second, her usual sad expression was replaced with a mischievous grin.

* * *

Meanwhile, John was talking with Kevin. "Dude, she's totally checking you out," John said.

Kevin risked a glance behind him. Faith was looking down. "No, she isn't. Besides. Who would like me? I'm just the mental kid."

John rolled his eyes. "For someone who doesn't want anyone to judge him based on a syndrome, you're sure judging yourself based on a syndrome."

Kevin glared at the guitarist. "Like you wouldn't," he snapped.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"He's right, to an extent, but John has no right to tell me how to live my life."

* * *

"Tension convention!" Luke commented, drawing a glare from not only John and Kevin, but Faith as well. "Or not…"

"Wait until you're a host, buddy," Chris smirked. "Speaking of hosts, this one only has one contestant left to introduce! She's-"

"YOU!"

Everyone turned to see the source of the noise, except for Chris, who mumbled. "It's not me…"

A girl stormed onto the set. She was obviously the last contestant. The girl wore a simple red top and blue shorts, and her red glasses were askew as she stormed forward.

"You!" she screamed again, pointing at… Janson.

Janson was nervous. "I can explain, milady-"

The girl interrupted. "DO NOT call me your lady, you cheating _refieres idiota! ¡Odio tu pequeña alma mentirosa!_ "

Madeline nudged Janson. "Who is this?"

Janson sighed as the girl fumed. "This is Abigail… my ex."

[Abigail- The Sadistic Ex]

"That's right!" Abigail replied. "Don't think I haven't forgotten like you did! I tried for _months_ to ask you out! Months! And you tossed me aside like a piece of garbage! I bet you didn't know that I have PTSD because of you, did you? DID YOU?"

Madeline looked hurt. "Is this true?"

Janson had tears in his eyes. "It is. But I've changed! I'm no longer the man I used to be!"

* * *

Confessional: Janson

"Hook, line, and sinker… or at least for Madeline. Converting Abigail to my side shall be especially tricky. Hopefully, she won't be on my team… Obviously, I don't trust her."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail

"My anger aside, I feel bad for that poor little girl Janson's stringing along. I don't want her heart to be shattered like mine."

* * *

"I'm trying to say sorry," Janson said.

"And I'm trying to say that I don't care," Abigail readjusted her glasses. "Don't trust him, Maddy."

"Don't call me Maddy," Madeline bristled, suddenly annoyed.

"Well," Chris looked awkward, as Abigail glared at Janson, and Madeline glared at Abigail. "I kind of feel like an intruder, but you guys can go ahead and open your tickets. Brown interior over there," he pointed to one side, "sandy interior over there," he continued, pointing to the other side, "and green interior stays here."

As expected, there was a lot of general fumbling around to get to the desired spots.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Luckily, Ruby was on my team. Considering she was _the only_ person who wanted to be in an alliance with me, I'd say that's a plus."

* * *

Confessional: Connor

"Ugh. Luke's on my team. He has this serious kumquat vibe to him that I can't put my finger on- plus he's _totally_ going to kill my mood."

* * *

Confessional: Drew

"And… Arianna is on my team, thank goodness. Make way for the new power couple."

* * *

Confessional: Connie

"Too bad I'm not on Spencer's team. Welp, if he's as good at the game as he is good-looking, then we'll have no trouble re-uniting!"

* * *

"Is everyone done, then?" Chris asked, as the last of the people found their spots. "Good."

He looked at the sandy-ticketed team- standing there were Janson, John, Michael, Faith, Madeline, and Ruby.

"You folks," Chris smiled. "Are officially the Daring Dingos!"

He tossed them their tan bandanas.

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- Daring Dingos

"What do I think of my team? Well, Faith and Ruby are both very nice, and of course I'm glad that Janson's on my team. John should be good at challenges too. The odd one out is…"

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

"Michael. Me. Remember that name in case anyone asks who the first elimination was, or who the team reject was, or who the fan least-favorite was- the list goes on."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"I'm glad Faith is on the team, especially with Janson there, too. Maybe I can also help her get together with 'you-know-who'."

* * *

"Next up," Chris said, gesturing to the green team in the middle, where Drew, Kevin, Spencer, Abigail, Arianna, and a very frightened Nikki were standing. "You are now the Tepid Turtles!"

He gave them dark green bandanas.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Tepid Turtles

"There's no doubt that this is the best team, and it's not just because I'm on it. Oh wait… it is!"

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Tepid Turtles

Somehow, the propmaster had acquired photos of all of his teammates. He grabbed a tube of red lipstick out of his satchel and drew Xs on Drew's, Arianna's, and Abigail's photos, and gave the camera a thumbs down.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"This is a very scary team… Arianna and Drew are mean, Abigail's insane, and Spencer is creepy!"

* * *

"And finally…" Chris gestured to where the last six- Addie, Connor, Luke, Connie, Ilyria, and Renee- stood, "you are the Wily Wombats!"

He tossed them dark brown bandanas.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"I'm glad Addie's on my team, if only to keep an eye on him." She blushes. "That's the only reason!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"Our team is _the best!_ Connie's hilarious, Connor's chill, I ship Addie and Ilyria, like, _uber_ hard, and of course, we have me! The only thing that would make this better is if Mikey-Bear was here, but as they say in English, you can't win them all."

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"Everyone here is so… _newsworthy!_ And I, Renee DeLaney, shall meet them all!"

* * *

"Well, take a few minutes to get acquainted," Chris said, "but hurry up, because in…" he looked at his watch. "...ten minutes, we'll be starting."

"Starting what?" Renee asked inquisitively, as a couple others also expressed their confusion.

"Why," Logan grinned. "The challenge, of course."

...

The scene changed to show Chris and Logan, both sitting on lifeguard chairs.

Chris looked at the camera. "How will the contestants fare this season?"

Logan joined in. "Will Abigail kill Janson?"

"And what is up with Ilyria?" Chris finished.

Logan nodded. "All this and more on…."

"Total!" Chris shouted.

"Drama!" Logan added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" They finished together.

 **A/N: Alrighty-roo! That's the introduction. At the end of each chapter, there's going to be a 'question time' for you guys to answer in the reviews, to keep an active audience. So, here it is:**

 **Question Time!**

 **1\. Which characters do you like/not like?**

 **2\. Who do you think will win?**

 **3\. Who do you think will be the first elimination?**

 **Character Changes (from what I was sent):**

 **Janson- Arguably the biggest personality change, I changed him from a neutral-leaning, flirtatious dancer to a villainous gentleman, in order to keep him different from Drew.**

 **John- Believe it or not, I gave him a character flaw for his own good- Considering he a) has a girlfriend already, b) as Drew pointed out, is pretty stereotypical, and c) also really perfect (and in my opinion, boring), I needed to make sure that John was an interesting enough to keep in, if I want to.**

 **Ruby/Madeline/Nikki- Ah, the "shy" stereotype. How wonderfully overused. In this case, on the scale of introvertedness, I put Ruby on the shy end, Nikki on the socially awkward end, and Madeline somewhere in the middle.**

 **Addie- Instead of being a heroic thief, I made him more of a neutral kleptomaniac, because that's much more entertaining. His personality is also more relaxed.**

 **Ilyria- Basically the opposite. Again, character flaws, in this case she's more tightly wound than the character that was sent to me.**

 **Abigail- Abigail was supposed to be a villain, but I like the idea of a scrappy hero better, especially to keep her from being a second Arianna. Also, I changed her ex from Kevin to Janson for story reasons.**

 **Connor- I needed a downright nasty character to balance out the cast, and, unfortunately, Connor was the best candidate.**

 **Luke- I made him much more like his stereotype. Why? Again, entertainment value.**

 **A quick reminder of the teams as well:**

Daring Dingos- Janson, John, Michael, Faith, Madeline, Ruby

Tepid Turtles- Drew, Kevin, Spencer, Abigail, Arianna, Nikki

Wily Wombats- Addie, Connor, Luke, Connie, Ilyria, Renee

 **Thanks! Happy Hallowe'en!**


	3. Ep2: A Re-Turn For The Worse Part 2

_Last Time On Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _The eighteen players this season were officially introduced! Some are nice (Ruby), some are mean (Drew), and some are just flat out odd (Spencer). When we left off, the three teams had been designated, each of them named after an Australian animal- The Daring Dingos, The Tepid Turtles, and The Wily Wombats._

 _The first challenge begins soon! Who will take all and who will take the fall? Find out now on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and I know I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Abigail and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Gahkah-Dew, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

 _Day 1- K'wala Dock_

 _Present: All_

* * *

Confessional: Chris and Logan

"So we left them alone, right?" Chris said. "Well, little do the contestants know, we're not coming back."

Logan nodded. "Right. After a few minutes, the challenge will… appear. The teams will have to figure it out independently."

"Also of note, we have a running bet," Chris added. "He thinks the Dingos will win. I'm saying the Turtles."

Logan shook his head. "Not a snowball's chance in hell. Also," he pointed to a loose floorboard, "we hid a few advantages under the floor."

"Yep! All of this is going to make for a _really_ entertaining first day, I think," Chris said.

Logan smirked. Then his expression changed to disgust. "Wait, why are we still in here?"

The two hurriedly exited the confessional.

* * *

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

"So…" Faith said awkwardly. "What do you guys want to talk about?"

She and the rest of her team were huddled together, trying to learn each other's names and the like.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"So, after announcing the first challenge, Chris and Logan just left us to our own devices for a while. Well, I'd best be getting people to like me if I don't want to be voted off."

* * *

"I'll start," Faith started. "I'm Faith, I'm from New Brunswick, and I love photography and strawberry ice cream."

"Hi Faith," the others chanted in a monotone sarcastically. They all cracked up when they realized they had spoken in unison.

"Alright, alright, I'll go next," John said. "I'm John, and I'm a sort-of famous guitarist from Toronto. I like hamburgers and... " his voice dropped to a whisper. "...rom-coms."

They all laughed again as John smiled sheepishly.

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- Daring Dingos

"The team dynamic here is great- I can't believe we're all getting along so well! Especially with Janson on my side- Hey, what's this?"

Madeline crouched down and peered through the floorboards. An overhead camera showed her pulling one of the board up, to reveal three pouches- one with a red ribbon, one with a blue ribbon, and one with a black ribbon.

" _Game Changers… Please Take One,"_ she read excitedly. "Wow!"

She took the blue-ribboned pouch. " _Game Changer… Do not open until Day 2!_ Oh my gosh! This is so awesome!" Madeline beamed. "I can't wait to open this!"

* * *

Ruby went next with a grin on her face. "Well, I'm Ruby. Um… Let's see… I'm also from Toronto, I'm afraid of birds, and- What?"

This comment was directed at John, who had to quickly hide a snicker. "Nothing, just… Birds, out of everything?"

Faith glared at the guitarist. "You're not winning any friends right now, you know."

John realized this. "You're right. Sorry."

Ruby shrugged indifferently. "No problem…"

* * *

Confessional: John- Daring Dingos

"Man, I'm on a social losing streak right now. I need to do something to redeem myself."

* * *

"Do you want to go next, Michael?" John asked the nerd politely.

Michael didn't look up. "No…" he mumbled.

"Okay," John rolled with it. "Janson?"

Janson puffed out his chest, causing Madeline to giggle. "I, my friends, am Janson! I hail from Singapore, but as of right now I live in Calgary."

Madeline was surprised. "Hey! I live there too!"

Janson chuckled. "What a coincidence! I also enjoy cats and impressionist paintings," he finished.

"Exciting," Michael mumbled.

Faith looked over at him, surprised. "You have a sense of humor? _You?_ "

"...And that's why I don't express myself…" Michael finished.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

"See? Criticism and shock whenever I act normal. Sheesh," he sighs and looks down- and in doing so, spots the loose board.

"... Meh… I don't deserve it..." He shrugs and leaves.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

Michael quickly reenters the confessional and takes the advantage with the red ribbon. "Maybe just one…"

* * *

Faith smiled warmly. "How about you, Madeline?"

Madeline took a half-step back as the metaphorical spotlight was put on her. "I… um…"

"Relax," Janson instinctively put a hand on her shoulder. "Nobody is testing you here."

Madeline visibly calmed under Janson's influence. "...My name is Madeline, and I like gymnastics and cats," she exhaled.

"Gymnastics, huh?" Faith mused. "Can we see one of your moves?"

"Sure!" Madeline crouched down and was suddenly backflipping through the air. She landed perfectly as the others- especially Janson, who cheered as well.

"Amazing! You have the brains, the brawn, and clearly the beauty," Janson winked at Madeline, who blushed and looked away.

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"Ah… Too easy. Soon, we'll be in an alliance, and I'll rule the game. Now, who to eliminate first… Faith is the strongest player here. I think I'll eliminate her first, followed by John."

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

"...And so I said to the cab driver, 'Sure!' and I slapped him!" Connie finished. Her teammates hooted with laughter. Well, Ilyria didn't- but then, she never really did.

"That's a good one…" Addie sighed, recovering from his laughing fit. "How do you come up with this stuff?"

Connie grinned dopily. "I just do, I guess!"

* * *

Confessional: Connie- Wily Wombats

"Things are going great! Believe it or not, though, that's part of my strategy- as long as people like having me around, and I don't get on anyone's bad side, then I'm golden. That's the reasoning behind my 'no-alliances' rule as well."

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"It's clear to me that Addie and Connie have the best social game here. While Ilyria isn't as well-liked, she has the obvious advantage of a potential romantic partner in Addie, and Luke can hold his own in challenges. Due to this, I need to seek out Connor in a potential alliance." She tipped her hat. "This is Renee Delaney, signing off for now."

* * *

"Sir," Renee whispered to Connor as Connie started to tell another joke.

Connor turned to her. "Sister, there are no egos here. Please call me Connor, or merely 'brother', after all, we're all-"

"Yes, yes, that's nice," Renee interrupted, scribbling on a notepad. "But there are more pressing matters at the moment. I was, in fact, hoping to interest you in an alliance. I have here the statistics that I hoped to show you pertaining to the effectiveness of these-"

"I'm in," Connor nodded.

"Really?" Renee was surprised. She slowly put away her notepad.

"Sister," the hippie spread his arms wide. "Your vibe is earnest, and I myself need a friend in the game."

"Wow," Renee said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Also, I don't like your hat," Connor stated.

He turned back towards Connie without another word.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"I don't understand Connor one bit. And as a journalist, I despise not understanding people."

* * *

Confessional: Connor- Wily Wombats

"...And my place in the game is secured, at least for one day. Renee and I have not yet had the chance to talk strategy, but the way I see it, Ilyria should be the next to go- she is my least favorite player on my team."

* * *

The girl in question, Ilyria, was standing on the outside of the group. She occasionally looked at her watch, as if expecting something to happen. The secret agent definitely looked panicked.

"...Earth to Ilyria…" Addie smiled wryly. "Is there anyone home?"

"What?" Ilyria looked up, startled. "Yes?"

"Just saying hi. Wanna introduce yourself?" Addie asked, rather pleasantly.

Ilyria, who had stopped paying attention by this point, said, "Okay," and went back to staring at her watch.

Addie did a double take. "...So?"

Ilyria looked up again, this time annoyed. "So what?"

Addie smacked his forehead.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Either Ilyria is the biggest airhead on the island- which is unlikely since she's too serious for that- or there's something much more important going on. Whatever it is, I hope she finishes soon because I want to talk to her- she seems like a cool girl."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"I may seem a little… distracted, but only because the suspect has not appeared yet! I was _told_ they would be here by now. I was promised!"

* * *

"You two are just the cutest," Luke smiled. "It makes me think of my first girlfriend."

"Yes?" Renee asked since Addie and Ilyria were both performing the all-important duty of blushing. "Who?" She pulled out her notepad.

Luke sighed. "Susy Jones. We were meant for each other! But, alas, second-grade romances tended to not work out in those days. Oh, why, _why, Susy!_ " Luke was suddenly sobbing, to the surprise of his teammates.

He jumped up. "Just kidding."

Ilyria rolled her eyes while Connie snickered.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"My synopsis on Luke- he's an overly dramatic teen who has a good social game, but a poor mental game. I believe, in our newfound alliance, Connor and I should target him first.

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"Clearly, everybody loves me. Of course, that could be an issue when I have to get rid of someone…" He scratches his chin thoughtfully.

* * *

"So, why'd you come here, Luke?" Connie asked.

Luke thought about this. "I just like competing! Maybe, I told myself, I could even get a boyfriend or a girlfriend. And now I have one!"

"No, you don't!" Michael shouted, from across the dock.

Luke smiled. "He's so cute when he's in denial. What about you, Connie?"

"Well," Connie's face suddenly grew dark, disturbed. "I have a bit of a past where I'm from. Being here… it's like I'm escaping, you know?"

Luke nodded. "I understand. Which parent?"

Connie was taken aback by his abruptness. "Mother. You?"

Luke sighed. "My dad. Cardiac arrest. I was thirteen."

"I'm sorry," Connie said. The actor and the comedienne shared a hug.

"Yeah, well, can't change the past. Only the future, yeah?" Luke asked rhetorically.

* * *

Confessional: Connie- Wily Wombats

"Just… wow. I wasn't expecting any heartfelt conversations for a while, especially from _Luke,_ of all people. I guess it just goes to show what a good friend he is!"

* * *

"...Well…" Connie looked at the others, who were also paying attention to their conversation- especially Renee, who was writing down notes on her pad. "...What now?"

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

As the team stood on their mat, there was dead silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Finally, Arianna broke the spell. "When is Chris coming back? I'm _hot!_ "

"Don't I know it," Drew replied smoothly. Unbeknownst to him, Arianna rolled her eyes.

"Well, you're going to have to wait," Kevin glanced at her over the rim of his glasses. "We received very clear instructions if I'm not mistaken."

"Easy for you to say," Arianna grumbled. "You have your dumb writing to keep you entertained. What are you even writing about?"

"Nothing," Kevin mumbled, staring down suddenly.

"Oh, is ickle Kevy Wevy embarrassed?" Arianna mocked.

Kevin stood up quickly. "If you must know, I am actually compiling a list of the names, personalities, and threat-levels of every contestant here, so I can methodically eliminate them in the order in which I desire them to be eliminated in," he said, stern but sarcastic. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must use the confessional."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"In reality, I was just drawing a dolphin, but Arianna doesn't need to know that. Maybe a target was out on my back; but then, I might use that to my advantage."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Tepid Turtles

"...Kevin needs to go."

* * *

Meanwhile, Abigail kept glancing over her shoulder at Janson, occasionally muttering scathing comments like, 'that little slime' and 'manipulating douche', and other fun tidbits that would make this story lose its K rating.

After the hundredth time, Nikki looked at Janson's ex. "Um…"

"Shut up," Abigail barked.

"Sorry!…" Nikki cried, before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"No, never mind," Abigail said, softer this time. "I'm just mad. Janson's working his little claws into that girl, and I'm stuck over here doing nothing! By the time the merge comes, she'll be so deceived that I won't be able to convince her of his true colors!" Abigail suddenly clenched her fists.

"Well…" Nikki trailed off.

"Well, what?" Abigail looked at her.

"...What if… we were in an alliance?..." Nikki rushed on before Abigail could say anything. "We could vote together and then we could work together to prove Janson wrong and then we'd both be in the game and then-"

"Nikki," Abigail hushed her. "I'll do it."

"Really?" Nikki said, surprised.

"...But we need three for a majority," Abigail finished. "And I'm not working with Kevin."

One could almost see Nikki figuring out what this meant. When she did, her face fell. "No… not him…"

Abigail put a hand on her shoulder. "It's the only way."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Tepid Turtles

"Actually, there are several other ways, but I think Nikki needs to face this silly fear of hers sooner rather than later. And so, in comes…"

* * *

"...Spencer?" Abigail asked. The mime popped his head up and looked at her. "Nikki has something to ask you."

Spencer slowly approached the two girls. He nodded his head as if to say, _yes?_

"I… um…" Nikki tried to look away. She couldn't for long. "Well… you see… I…" beads of sweat dotted her forehead. "It's… I… _WAUGH_!"

Nikki hurled herself off the dock.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Tepid Turtles

Spencer merely shrugs.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Tepid Turtles

"...Perhaps I pushed her too hard."

* * *

Because of the layout of the dock, Nikki was forced to swim to shore. While she was doing this, the rest of her team resumed talking.

"So…" Drew looked over. "What was that all about?"

Abigail waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing."

Drew smacked his lips together. "I'm parched," he threw a cigarette butt into the ocean, narrowly missing Nikki. "Who wants to get us some ice cold drinks?"

Spencer reached into his satchel and pulled out five popsicles. He handed them out to his grateful team.

"And to think I was joking," Drew said aloud. He patted Spencer on the back. "Thanks, buddy."

"Wait, how did these stay cold?" Arianna asked, her mouth already purple. "Never mind. I don't even want to know."

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Tepid Turtles

"While I was grateful for the popsicles, it's clear to me that Spencer needs to go home first. He's smarter than he lets on, despite the whole mime shtick."

* * *

"...I'm back…" Nikki breathed heavily. She looked up. "...popsicles?..."

Abigail helped her up, and Spencer gave Abigail a popsicle to hand to Nikki.

"Do we have that banner Chris gave us?" Abigail asked. Kevin handed it over, and Abigail draped it over Nikki. "That should help you dry off."

"Thanks…" Nikki examined the cloth banner as she toweled off with it.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"That was a little embarrassing. What if everyone hates me now for using this banner?" She holds it up, but it slips out of her hand. "Whoops."

Nikki reaches down to grab the banner- and in doing so, spots the final advantage. "Oh!..." She takes the advantage. "This is awesome! I can't wait to tell Abigail!"

* * *

"Seriously, though," Arianna groaned. "When is Chris coming?"

"Have a little patience," Kevin shot back.

"Um… guys?" Nikki said, a quaver in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I've been waiting for forty minutes!" Arianna said, ignoring her.

"That must be _so_ difficult for you to stomach, you sheltered preppy," Abigail got into the argument. "You've never spent forty minutes outside?"

"Guys…" Nikki said, a little louder this time.

Arianna glared at Abigail. "Of course I have! Just not in New freaking Zealand! Besides, all you care about is your dumb boyfriend!"

"Ex-boyfriend!" Abigail clarified. "And of course I care! I have a soul, after all!"

"I find that hard to believe, actually," Drew snickered.

" _Guys…_ " Nikki said for a third time, a little annoyed.

"Why?" Kevin asked Drew sarcastically. "Because you're comparing her to yourself?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Drew glared at the writer.

" _GUYS!_ " Nikki shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"What?" Everyone shouted back at Nikki, causing her to shrink away. The girl pointed to the sky.

The players gasped- three wooden boxes were falling from the heavens, supported by flimsy parachutes.

"What the heck are those?" Drew wondered aloud.

"This may shock you," Kevin looked at the lounge singer. "But they appear to be boxes."

"I mean, what's inside them?" Drew glared back.

"We're about to find out," Abigail watched as the three boxes fell onto the dock with a massive _THUMP_. Everyone was watching now.

"So…" Luke gestured to the boxes. "What-"

 _BONK_. A small canister fell onto his head, knocking the actor over.

"I'm okay!" Luke jumped up. He opened the canister, dumping out a scroll, which he unrolled.

Luke began to read the scroll. " _The keys to these boxes will fall out of the sky now._ "

Sure enough, three key rings fell out of the air into Addie's hand, Ruby's hand, and Nikki's face. There were several keys on each ring.

" _When I clap my hands, the one member of each team will race to open the boxes. Inside is a puzzle lock, which two more members will attempt. When the lock opened, you will receive a map leading to a clearing in K'wala Forest, where three rewards will be waiting. The first team to arrive will select two, and the second team will select one. Then, follow your maps to your team's islands, and set up camp there. There will be no elimination ceremony tonight, as this challenge is exclusively for a reward. Clap your hands._ "

Everyone stared at Luke as the message sunk in. "Oh!"

He clapped his hands, and the teams started the challenge.

After a few valuable moments used to strategize, the teams chose John, Addie, and Spencer to unlock their boxes. These three players rushed forward and began to fiddle with their key rings, while their teammates cheered them on.

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

"Let's go, John!" Faith and Ruby cheered. Soon, the rest of the Daring Dingos took it on as a chant. "Let's go, John, let's go!... Let's go, John, let's go!..."

John grinned and tried another key in the lock, which didn't fit.

The Tepid Turtles on the other hand, were trying a… different… method of encouragement.

"Get it together, Spencer!" Arianna screamed. Drew tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shook him off. "If you lose, we'll vote you out!"

"Calm down a smidgen, hon," Drew tried to calm her. "It's just for a reward, remember. And he's doin' the best he can."

"No! I will not calm down! Who knows what we could be losing _right now!_ So get a bloody move on!" Arianna kept yelling at the mime.

Spencer sighed and tried another key.

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

"Argh!" Addie grunted as another key failed. He was sampling the keys faster than anyone else but to no avail.

"Don't give up, Addie!" Connie encouraged from the sidelines.

"Ah, to hell with it," Addie tossed away the ring and pulled a bobby pin out of his hair. He worked it into the lock, and, sure enough, opened it in seconds.

"Wow! Addie is showing surprising- maybe even questionable- talents early in the game," Renee said as Addie raced back. "Will his team rally-"

" _GO!_ " her team shouted. The reporter and Connor were forced to the puzzle- a 15-tile slider.

"This may not be the best time to mention, sister," Connor looked at the puzzle nervously, "But I've never done this before."

John and Spencer looked at Connor, and then at each other, and then at their locks. They both sped up.

"You can do it, John!" Faith said, a tad nervous.

"Don't mess this up!" Arianna yelled, a tad furious.

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

 _CLICK._ Spencer suddenly opened their lock and raced back, to a satisfied team. Arianna and Kevin teamed up to try and solve the puzzle, which involved Arianna moving the pieces and Kevin getting his hand slapped away repeatedly.

"So… I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but we are a team, right?" Kevin asked as he reached for the puzzle, only to get his hand slapped again.

"Yes," Arianna dropped her voice. "But luckily, if we win, it's all me, and if we lose, I only take half the blame. What? I have a plan inside a plan, Kevy Wevy."

Kevin glared at her. "I have a name. Use it," he stepped back and let Arianna do the puzzle. When she wasn't looking, he gave an apologetic glance to his team.

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

Connor and Renee were still working on the puzzle. Their team, while still cheering, was losing optimism.

"Say…" Renee bit her lip. "Can we-" she unsuccessfully tried to lift one of the sliding tiles. "Nuts."

Connor was just staring at the puzzle. "Er… nah."

Needless to say, progress was not made.

"Hey, can we substitute players?" Addie wondered aloud, not expecting a response.

 _BONK._ One hit him on the head in a small container.

" _No,"_ He read. He looked up, but nothing was there. "Are you two just waiting in a tree in case we ask rhetorical questions that you can answer?"

 _BONK._ " _No. Shut up."_

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

John was really getting mad now. He only had a few keys left, but the guitarist was making no progress.

He put in a key, twisted it and…

Nothing. There were only four unused keys left. John swore and tried again.

Nothing. Three left. John tried again.

Nothing. Two left….

 _CLICK!_ The lock finally opened on the second to last key. John hung his head as Faith rushed in, accompanied by-

"Michael?!" Drew asked incredulously as he observed. "Are they _trying_ to lose?" He turned back to the duo- or rather, just Arianna- who was working on the puzzle. "How ya doin', sugar?"

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

"Fine!" Arianna barked back. Kevin was still observing, but now he had a wry grin on his face.

"I could help," he offered, knowing the response.

"And have you lose the challenge for us? As if," Arianna rolled her eyes.

"Alrighty, then," Kevin said. "I'll be waiting when you want the solution on my notepad."

Arianna paused. "Wait. What?"

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

Connor and Renee had now moved one piece of the fifteen into its proper position, and even that was accidental. They were now in the process of trying to rotate the pieces.

"You got this!" Connie encouraged. "Show that puzzle who's boss! Amiright, Ily- hey, where'd Ilyria go?"

"Confessional, probably," Luke rationed. "She uses it more than the rest of us combined."

"True, true," Connie agreed. She noticed Addie's troubled expression. "What?"

Addie shook his head. "Nothing. Just… nothing."

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

Faith pulled a dreary Michael to the puzzle. She started to work on it, while he did not. "Okay, Michael. I know for a fact that you're the smartest one here-"

"You don't know that," Michael protested.

"What's the atomic mass for silver?" she asked.

Michael responded reflexively. "One hundred and seven point eight six eight two daltons," his brain caught up to his mouth, and he groaned. "Point taken. So?"

" _So,_ use that brain to help us win!" Faith encouraged.

Michael sighed. "Why, though? When I solved the puzzle, and we hypothetically won the reward, then I'd get a small spark of hope that would be extinguished as soon as you voted me out first. At least if we lose, I won't doubt myself."

Faith thought about it. "That has a kind of pessimistic logic to it, I will admit. But, you forgot something."

Michael's eyes flickered, and for a second you could see a smirk on his face. "And what might that be?"

Faith pointed to the other teams. Arianna was struggling with the puzzle, and shrieking at Kevin to give up the answer. Abigail kept shooting angry glances at Janson. Connor and Renee were fumbling around with the puzzle. Luke was dancing around wildly.

"Do you really want any of _them_ to win?" Faith asked. "You're on a team with _good_ people, trying to do _good_ things. Help us win this challenge and all of the rest, and then at least you can go home knowing you did something. Does that not seem better?"

Michael paused. "It does."

He solved the puzzle in eighteen moves.

"Yes!" The Daring Dingos cheered and ran up to claim their map, but in the confusion…

"Ow!" Madeline fell down, clutching her foot. "I think I sprained my ankle!"

Janson looked at her sympathetically. "Sorry, Madeline. Do you think you can run?"

Madeline tried to stand but fell down again. She shook her head.

"Well then," Janson reached down and picked up the gymnast, fireman-style, "we'll just have to make do. Who's got the map?"

"Me," John said. "I can lead- I've been reading maps for years. Trust me."

Janson nodded. "Let's go then!"

The Daring Dingos trudged away slowly.

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

"You have the solution?" Arianna asked Kevin, over at the Turtles' puzzle.

"I think so," Kevin agreed. "And all you have to do to get it is apologize."

"For what?" Arianna was baffled.

Kevin scoffed. "For being a complete control freak and hurting everyone's feelings! Only two words, hon. That's all."

"Come on!" Drew protested from the sidelines. "You're being-"

"Unreasonable?" Kevin glared at the lounge singer. "Well, I'm sure Arianna here will pay it back in full. I don't like bad people. And I don't want respect, but I do want justice. The sooner you learn that, the better. Now," he turned to Arianna. "I believe you were saying something along the lines of…?"

Arianna tried to stare the autistic writer down. It didn't work. Seconds passed. She opened her mouth…

… "I'm sorry," Arianna said, not a trace of sincerity in her voice.

Kevin nodded. Then he turned to the puzzle and moved four tiles, finishing the puzzle.. "You would have gotten it in no time anyway." He grabbed the map. "Well, let's go!"

The rest of the team stared at him in shock, not fully believing that Kevin had been able to tame Arianna. Then, they ran with him, leaving the last team.

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

"Where is she, though?" Addie kept looking at the dock. "How long could that confessional have been?"

"Don't worry about it," Luke said. "It's not like she's missing out on anything," he added wryly.

He looked at the puzzle. Connor and Renee had now moved three pieces into their places.

"Still…" he turned his head and yelped.

Ilyria was standing right next to him.

"Um… What's this?" She asked before anyone could get a word out. "Oh, a puzzle? Well, that's simple. All you must do is-"

Before anyone could question her sudden disappearance or her even more sudden reappearance, she relayed off the entire set of instructions to Connor and Renee, who solved the puzzle in no time.

"Don't stand there all gobsmacked, let's get moving!"Ilyria commanded her team. "Or did you forget that there's a challenge going on?"

"But-" Addie protested.

"No buts! Win first, speak second!"" Ilyria glared.

The Wily Wombats ran off as Addie muttered under his breath. "...Like two different people…"

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

Back at first place, John was leading a struggling Daring Dingos. They needed to move slowly or else Madeline would cry out in pain, but the pace was clearly frustrating.

"I'm... really sorry, guys," Madeline whimpered, her face pale.

"No, no, don't worry," Janson grunted, still carrying her. "If anything, we should be apologizing to you. Did you just fall, or.."

The second part of his question went through everyone's heads. _...or were you pushed?_

Madeline tried to think about it. "I… I don't know. I can't concentrate here. Turtles."

John turned around. "What? Guys, I think she's going into shock."

Madeline shook her head weakly. "No… they're right behind us…"

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

Indeed, the Tepid Turtles were jogging forwards, at a much faster pace than the Dingos. Kevin, surprisingly, led the team.

"Hold up," he stopped as they came up beside their opposition. "What's wrong?"

Faith looked surprised- and maybe endeared- by Kevin's sympathy, even in a challenge. "Madeline sprained her ankle."

Spencer clapped his hands once, to get everyone's attention. Then, he pulled out some bubble wrap. Gesturing for Madeline, he tentatively wrapped the plastic around her ankle, then used duct tape to hold it in place. He made an inquisitive thumbs up, silently asking, _any better?_

Madeline wiggled her ankle. "A little bit, thanks."

Spencer nodded, his work done. He handed Madeline a popsicle.

Kevin looked satisfied. "Off we go, then."

Abigail cleared her throat. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up." when her team stared at her, she added, "I did track for six years. I can outrun a guy carrying an injured girl in my sleep."

Arianna scowled. "Don't lose this for us."

The rest of the team ran off, moving into first.

"So," Abigail started to walk with the Daring Dingos. She was talking to Madeline. "Is this a good time to talk about Janson?"

Ruby turned around, shocking everyone. "Not this again! Abigail… Janson has been nothing but kind to us! He's so sweet to Madeline, and we all think that you're crazy! So stop!... Please…"

Abigail stared at the shy girl, comprehending her spunk. "Is this how you all feel?"

The team nodded.

Abigail sighed. "Then I have no choice. MEDIC! MADELINE BROKE HER ANKLE!"

She sprinted off as the staff medic rushed on to the scene, effectively delaying them. In fact, the whole exchange hadn't taken long at all, so she caught up with her team in no time.

Drew looked back, satisfied. "Nice one, girl. And would you look at that…"

The Tepid Turtles had arrived on the scene first, where the prizes were waiting, covered by cloths. They all stepped on their mat and cheered. "We won!"

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

The Wily Wombats hear the celebrations, and knew they were close. In fact, no sooner had they heard this than they passed the Daring Dingos, who had been forced to wait on the sidelines as Madeline's foot was evaluated.

"Maybe we-" Addie started.

"No time!" Ilyria said. "We need to win!"

And win they did, coming in second place. The Dingos followed several minutes after, with Madeline on crutches.

"Congratulations, Turtles!" Chris said, coming out of the brush. "And a smaller congratulations, Wombats! For placing in first and second, your teams will win a prize. But first, Madeline, what's your status?Madeline looked meekly at Chris. "It's just a minor sprain. They'll re-evaluate tomorrow, but I should be cleared to continue."

The other teams applauded, even Abigail, albeit reluctantly.

"And now…" Chris said, building up the anticipation. "The prizes! Want to know what you fought for?"

The Turtles nodded eagerly. Chris pulled the blankets off the prizes.

"Food!" he said, as the contestants looked longingly at a plate of meats and cheeses. "Fire!" he added, as the perspective changed to reveal matches, pre-cut tinder and kindling, and several unlit torches. "And shelter!" He said, as the camera shifted, now showing two massive tarps, ropes, and large pre-cut acacia planks.

"The choice is yours, Turtles," he said, as the team huddled together. "Pick two. Fire, food, or shelter?"

Arianna spoke up. "We will take…

...food and fire."

Chris nodded as they grabbed their prizes. "That means that you, Wombats, get shelter!"

Connie grinned. "Wanted that one anyway. It's a win-win."

"Dingos," Chris said solemnly. "You get nothing, except the knowledge that you're the worst team so far in this competition. Your maps will show your camps. Now get going."

The teams started to walk away.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"I led the team to a win. _Me._ I'm not going to make it a habit or anything, but it felt good. Maybe now I'll be seen as an asset."

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"While I am disappointed in my personal performance, I was glad to receive a reward. Now it's time to enact my plan."

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"...And that, my friends, is the story of how I injured my girlfriend to get her to trust me. What, you thought I wasn't all in? You'd be dead wrong."

* * *

Confessional: Chris and Logan

Logan hands Chris a five-dollar bill. "I'll get you one of these days."

"Never bet against the house, Logan," Chris smirks. He turns to the camera.

"Tensions are rising already! Will Madeline ever see the truth about Janson?" Chris asked.

"Will Connor and Renee's alliance actually work?" Logan asked skeptically.

"And seriously. What is Ilyria's deal?" Chris wondered.

"There's a realistically small chance of finding out-" Logan started to stay. Chris smacked him.

"You will most certainly find out," Logan revised.

"On Total!" Chris said.

"Drama!" Logan added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" They said together.

* * *

Addie climbed up a rocky portion of the hill on his team's island. He paused to wipe sweat from his brow but soon continued. In no time, he was at the top of a large hill.

"Man," he muttered. "This is draining."

He pulled out a ring from his pocket. "Crap. Whose is this?"

He started to throw it away, but instead put the ring on his finger. "I'll figure it out soon enough."

Then, a large mechanical noise made the thief turn his head. "What the heck?"

He watched as a small light, like a star, moved through the air. But it wasn't a star.

Even from a distance, Addie could recognize Ilyria.

 **A/N: Well, there it is. I wanted a reward challenge chapter to set things up while still having that much-needed tension. Plus, it's not like things didn't happen- the Connor and Renee alliance, Faith coaxing Michael out of his shell, Abigail trying to convince Madeline of Janson's manipulative ways, and, of course, all of the advantages. Hope you enjoyed the bonus scene- Addie and Ilyria's unlikely romance will take the forefront in these first few chapters. Janson and Madeline will be the secondary ship for now, and the other couples will have their stories unfold later.**

 **Question Time!**

 **1: Was the challenge confusing? I thought it might be since I was switching from one team to another every five lines.**

 **2: Who is your favorite official couple? (Ilyria x Addie, Madeline x Janson, Arianna x Drew, Faith x Kevin, Connie x Spencer, or one-sided Luke x Michael)**

 **3: Targets have now been placed on several people's backs, and advantages have been found. Has your opinion on who the first elimination changed? If so, to whom?**

 **Thank you!**


	4. Ep3: Raising The Bar

_Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _We left the contestants to their own devices, with hilarious results! Game Changers were found, giving Madeline, Michael, and Nikki power early on. Then, using our new method of message transport we delivered the first challenge. The Tepid Turtles hit some bumps early on, but never fell below second and cruised to their first win. After Ilyria's disappearance and reappearance, a rather confused Wily Wombats fell to second. Despite the success of- wait for it- Michael?!, the Daring Dingos fell into last due to Madeline's injury, which was revealed to have been caused by Janson! A reward challenge meant nobody was eliminated, while Kevin's Turtles won a fire-making kit and a nice platter of food and the ever-failing Wombats won building materials._

 _Eighteen are here, but not for long! Who will be eliminated next on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and I know I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Abigail and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Gahkah-Dew, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Day 1_

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

"I have never been happier," Arianna moaned with pleasure, her mouth full of artisan meats and cheeses.

"For once, I agree," Abigail said, piling cheese onto her lap.

Spencer's eyes danced with happiness. He was roasting a grilled cheese over the fire, using bread he had somehow stored in his small satchel.

"What's up with the mime gig, anyway?" Drew snarked at Spencer. He was relaxing on a bed of palm fronds. "Like, wouldn't it be better for people to, I don't know, _not_ see you as a freak?"

Spencer merely shrugged. He then proffered his grilled cheese to Nikki, who managed a weak smile.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Spencer is making an effort to be nice to me. And while I appreciate it, I kind of wish that he would just stay away from me. I'd never tell him that, though…"

* * *

"How's it going?" Abigail approached Nikki, as Spencer readjusted, moving over to the opposite side of the fire.

"...Good…" Nikki didn't look up.

"Awesome," Abigail said. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Is this a bad time to talk alliance plans?"

Nikki looked at the others. Kevin was gone, Spencer was busy making sandwiches and storing them in his satchel, and Drew and Arianna were flirting. Nikki discreetly nodded yes.

"Alright. The obvious first move, then- we need to take out one of the lovebirds," Abigail nodded towards Arianna and Drew, the latter of whom was feeding the former cheese. "They're both smart, strategic players."

"True..." Nikki agreed. "We'll need at least one person to vote with us…"

Abigail was impressed. "True. I think Spencer's our best bet. He's smart. Keep him to the merge, and then he's an easy out."

"But…" Nikki paled. "If he's smart, do you think he'll vote with us and not the obvious majority?"

Abigail pondered this. "Okay… Maybe Kevin, then. I know I said I wouldn't work with him, but the challenge made me reconsider- he's… not nice, but stands for equality, which I can respect."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Tepid Turtles

"I had to drop the subject about Janson for a while- nobody believes me, except Nikki. So, the next best thing is to play as strategic as possible until I can eliminate him. And the best way to do that is to eliminate the threats- Arianna and Drew."

* * *

Nikki looked at her pocket. "So… I kind of found an advantage in the confessional. I- I don't know what it is because I can't open it until tomorrow, but if it's useful-"

"-It can help us take down Drew and Arianna!" Abigail finished. "Nikki, you're a genius!" She tried to hug her, but Nikki shrunk away. "Sorry."

Nikki shook her head. "...No, it's my fault…"

Abigail frowned. "What? No, I shouldn't have-"

Nikki waved her hand dismissively. "...Um… Where is Kevin, anyway?"

Abigail looked around. "Kevin… I swear, I just saw him… Well, we have a few more hours before nightfall. Let's find out!"

She pulled Nikki to her feet, and the two walked off, munching on cheese.

Once they left the fire, Arianna looked around to make sure that no one else was present, aside from her and Drew.

"We're golden," Arianna smirked.

"Wonderful, babe," Drew grinned. "Well, who goes first?"

"Kevin," Arianna responded at the same time as Drew saying "Spencer."

"Spencer?" Arianna asked. "Why?"

Drew frowned. "I thought it was clear. In spite of the mime thing, he's the least noticeable player here. When he does stand out, it's almost always in a positive way, leading others to enjoy his presence. Adding that to the fact that Spencer's a strategist, through and through, and he'll be practically unstoppable in the latter half of the game. However, early on, we can get Nikki to vote him off just based on her mime-a-phobia. And, why, babe, should we vote off Kevin?"

Arianna blushed. "...I don't like him…"

Drew smiled darkly. "Well, that's settled then-"

"But!" Arianna stopped him. "Voting off Kevin will systematically make it easier to vote Spencer off, as you, Nikki and I will be in the majority of a 3-2 split."

Drew considered this. "Smart. But how do we get rid of Kevin first?"

They both were silent.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Tepid Turtles

"I got to give Arianna credit- despite her _incredible_ good looks, she has a brain to back 'em up. Which is going to make it so much easier to write her name down if we lose. A girlfriend is important, but, well, a million bucks is the priority."

* * *

"This is just great," Arianna moaned. "All this power, and abso-freaking-lutely nothing we can do about it."

Drew groaned. "I hear you, babe. Unless-"

"Unless what?" Arianna perked up.

Drew whispered a plan in her ear. "Force a 3-2-1 split. You, me, and Nikki vote Spencer. Then we just have to make sure the other three don't all vote against one of us, and we're perfect."

Arianna smiled. "You're a genius, babe. A diabolical genius."

Drew smiled back. "Can I get a kiss for my intelligence?"

Arianna complied happily.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Tepid Turtles

"I've got Drew right where I want him. Oh, the things we do for love… ha."

* * *

"Kevin?... Kevin?..." Abigail called as she and Nikki searched through the jungle.

"Yeah, what about it," Kevin hopped up from the rock he was sitting on.

"Where were you?" Abigail asked. "You're missing some great fun. Spencer was juggling clown noses."

Kevin blinked. "What?"

"You know, the red squishy… it's not important. But come join us! We have artisan cheese," Abigail waved a piece of camembert in front of his nose.

Kevin pushed it away. "I'm lactose intolerant. Besides, I found berries. I set traps. I wove a hammock. I'm good here."

"You don't mean…" Nikki stuttered. "You're not staying at camp?"

"Of course not," Kevin scoffed. "Like anyone would want me there. They probably think I'm contagious."

Abigail sighed. "Between the two of you, I'd swear we were at a funeral. Lighten up! Can I at least see what you're writing?" She asked, gesturing to his notebook.

"Absolutely not," Kevin snapped the book shut. "With all due respect, I haven't shared a single poem since third grade and I do not intend to today."

Abigail shrugged. "Can't help you there. But, we do think we can help you in the game. What would you say to an alliance?"

"No, thanks," Kevin shook his head. "Frankly, it's clear that I'd be on the bottom, and an easy out when the time came. I will vote with you when it is convenient, but I will make no long-term promises."

"That's reasonable," Abigail said, content. "Well, we'll leave. But I wish you'd join us."

The two walked away, leaving a frustrated Kevin.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Nobody gets it! What am I supposed to do, waltz into camp like everything's normal? Like _I'm_ normal?" Kevin spits angrily, his eyes misty.

* * *

As soon as the girls left, Spencer approached a groaning Kevin, but to the writer's surprise, the propmaster quickly dropped a prosciutto sandwich in his lap and waited.

"Second weirdest person on this island…" Kevin muttered, taking a bite of the sandwich. He instantly spit a piece of paper out. "A note? What is this, a spy film?"

He unfolded the note Spencer had left in his sandwich and read it over. "Hm? Yeah, I'll do this.."

Spencer nodded as Kevin tossed the note away, and the wind carried it…

...right into Arianna's hands.

"What's this?" she whispered, making sure Drew was gone. She started to read.

"Oh, _someone's_ in trouble."

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

"No food, no fire, and no shelter," John sighed, after unsuccessfully attempting to make fire. "Other than that, things are great."

"I know!" Ruby was exhilarated. "I've never done anything like this before!"

"Really?" Janson inquired. "No camping?"

Ruby shook her head. "Pearl always talked me out of it. She said it was too scary and dirty. But this is so fun!"

"And I'm glad that _you're_ opening up," Faith added, coming back with filled water bottles. "But not surprised. We have the nicest team, after all."

"And the statistically worst," Michael added sadly.

"Don't think like that!" Faith chided him. "Look! We can stay in that cave!" She gestured over to one of the scariest and most dangerous caves that the others had ever seen.

"Um…" Madeline said. She was still using crutches. "You don't have any concerns about-"

"Nope!" Faith answered cheerily. "I read up on Australian fauna. There are no bears here except for koalas, which aren't actually bears anyway."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"Of course, the book _conveniently_ forgot to mention the _other_ animals."

* * *

The entirety of the team was now running from a large colony of bats.

"This was a bad idea!" Janson shouted, carrying Madeline.

"Oh, really? I didn't notice!" Ruby shouted back. "Where's Michael?"

The team skidded to a halt.

"...I'm in the cave," Michael's voice came drifting over.

Faith paled. "What if he's stuck? We have to get him out of there!"

The Daring Dingos heroically turned around ran through the colony of bats, swatting them away.

"Argh!" John fell dramatically. "Go on without me!"

"John!" Ruby screamed. "Nooooooo…."

"Pull yourself together, Ruby!" Faith said. "We have to save Michael!"

Ruby nodded grimly. "For John!"

" _FOR JOHN!"_ The others echoed, as they charged into the cave, where...

...Michael was calmly sitting on the ground, reading. There wasn't a bat in sight. "Oh, hey. The bats chased you away, so the cave's empty. Thanks for taking one for the team."

"Seriously?" John groaned, dragging himself into the cave. "When I said, 'go on without me,' I didn't really mean it!"

The guitarist collapsed on the ground.

"Well, that was an ordeal," Madeline quipped as Janson set her down. "Let's just start a fire here, so the bats don't return."

"How, though?" Janson wondered aloud.

Nobody could answer that question, so the Daring Dingos sat in silence.

Faith stood up. "Well, I'm not going to waste daylight. I'll make some fishing nets. Ruby, want to come?"

Ruby nodded meekly. The two left the cave.

"So, if we lose again, who are we voting out?" Faith wondered when the girls were far away enough from the cave.

"I don't want to vote out anyone, 'cause they're my friends…" Ruby pouted. "But I'd say, Madeline."

"I'd have to agree with you," Faith answered. "Honestly, with her injury, she's a liability, and with Janson, she's a threat. It makes too much sense."

Ruby sighed. "It just sucks that we need to get rid of anyone."

Faith nodded. "Yeah, it does. But maybe we don't have to lose. That would be convenient."

Ruby giggled. "It would be. But, Madeline first?"

"Yep." The girls walked off.

Little did they know that a conniving Janson had watched the whole ordeal.

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"So you think you can vote out my closest ally behind my back? How cute. However, I intend to use this piece of information to my advantage. Step back and watch the fireworks, everyone."

* * *

"Madeline!" Janson burst into the cave, where the others had managed to get a fire going. John and Madeline were the only ones present.

"What?" Madeline stood up, using her crutches.

"It's… they…" Janson pretended to be out of breath.

"Slow down, Janson," Madeline calmed him down. "What's the issue?"

Janson gulped. "Faith and Ruby are voting for you at the next elimination," Janson said to a now shocked Madeline.

"What?!" She asked. "But… I thought we were friends!"

"That's not cool," John agreed, standing up.

Janson nodded gravely. "This is a bad spot to be in strategically," he pretended to think about it. "Here's what I came up with. We three and Michael vote for Ruby first, and then Faith. We can get them before they get us."

John was puzzled. "Faith's the better player of the two. Why not her first?"

Madeline understood. "It'll be easier getting Michael to vote for Ruby. Then we only need the three of us to vote for Faith. I just… Why me?"

"Er… They said you were the weakest player here," Janson ad-libbed. John's eyes narrowed, but Madeline seemed convinced.

She sighed. "Wow. I'm kind of mad, but mostly just sad."

Janson gave her a hug. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- Daring Dingos

"I just don't get it! I'm not the weakest player here, by far! I can't believe it!"

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"Hahaha! Oh…" Janson wipes a tear from his eye. "That was beautiful. And getting John on my side was a bonus!"

* * *

Confessional: John- Daring Dingos

"I'm not one hundred percent sure if Janson's telling the truth or not. I think I'll investigate further."

* * *

"Faith?... Ruby?..." John called out, wandering along.

"Nope and nope," Michael sighed as he entered the area. "You probably don't want to see me. I'll go." He turned around and started to trudge away.

"Wait!" John grabbed Michael's arm, and the nerd blushed and pulled it away.

"What do you want?" He asked sternly.

"Well…." John traced his foot in the mud. "I thought we could work together, maybe?"

"Go on."

"Well, it's no secret that Faith and Ruby are in an alliance, and Janson kind of roped me into one with Madeline, but I'm the third wheel there. So maybe, you and I could vote together, so it's two, two and two? Just a thought." John looked into Michael's eyes.

Michael thought about it. "I guess I could use an ally," he mumbled, "If only to help the villains like Drew and Arianna lose…"

John smiled. "Great," he held his hand up for a high-five.

Michael turned away. "I don't do contact."

John shrugged. "Sorry," he lowered his hand.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

"Why would I get into an alliance with John, when I thought I didn't want to?...

…

...No!" he says, panicked. "I know what you're thinking, and that is definitely _not_ why!"

* * *

"Well, I have to go find Ruby and Faith. Wanna come with?" John asked.

"No…" Michael replied instantly. He almost sounded reluctant.

"Your choice," John said. He walked off to find the girls.

Time probably passed, but due to video editing, it seemed like no time at all before-

"Hey! Nice nets!" John complemented, approaching Faith and Ruby, who were weaving. They had already made several.

"Thanks," Faith stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants. "That's probably enough, Ruby. We can put these in the river."

Ruby stood up. "So… why are you here?"

John paused, unsure of how to best word the answer. "Janson told everyone that you two were planning on voting for Madeline. Then, they roped me into an alliance, whose first target," he pointed to Ruby, "Is you."

"Eep!" Ruby paled.

"Okay… but why would you tell us this?" Faith asked, suspicious.

John rolled his eyes. "Because obviously, I'm not going along with it! I say we blindside Janson. He… I don't trust him. We'd have enough smart people on the team without him."

"Funny how your proposed move would keep you at the top of the team," Faith mused. John backed off. "Sorry. I just need some time to think this one through."

John nodded. "Happy fishing." He left.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"My biggest issue here is that I can't trust anyone in this game. One bad choice and I'll be sent home."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"Just once I'd like to go outside without talking strategy. Just one time."

* * *

 _Night 1_

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Connor, Luke**_

Ilyria was walking alone through the woods. "This is a right mess I've gotten into," she sighed wearily.

She yawned. "Bloody jet lag…"

The secret agent heard a sharp _CRACK!_ and crouched down.

"Show yourself!" she cried out. "Or I will use whatever resources are at my disposal to hunt you down!"

Addie, with his arms raised in the 'surrender' position, stepped out of the clearing. "Gee, harsh much?"

"Sorry," she said insincerely. "I'm a little on edge, and I thought-"

"-thought I was someone else, I know," Addie finished. He looked around, and when satisfied, dropped his voice. "Presumably the same person you fly through the air to look for?"

Ilyria paled. "How did you…"

"Good eyesight, and bad luck," Addie quipped. "Oh, by the way, is this yours?"

He held out the ring.

Ilyria tried to process what happened while still keeping an icy demeanor. "...You're not going to ask why I was, you know…"

Addie shook his head. "None of my business. I figure we'll probably have some dramatic moment later on where you suddenly reveal everything that's gone on anyways. Why rush it?"

"What?"

"Never mind. So that's a _no_ on the ring, then?"

Ilyria nodded. "Yes, it is definitely a no. Now, please leave. I have… business to attend to."

"Yes, ma'am," Addie smirked and left.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"...What the heck just happened? He wasn't even _curious!_ " Ilyria said, worried. "But… I just don't understand!"

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Well, Ilyria's definitely a woman of mystery, all right. And yeah, I'm curious, but I have my own secrets. I shouldn't make her divulge hers."

* * *

"Oh, one more thing actually…" Addie popped his head back into the clearing. "You should probably socialize with the others, so they don't vote you off first. I'm thinking your goal would be easier to accomplish if you didn't need to sneak back onto the show."

"Noted. Now go," Ilyria commanded, and Addie left for real this time.

The girl continued to wander through the woods.

Meanwhile, Addie emerged at the camp. They had a formidable shelter, because of their reward, and a half-decent fire. Connie was performing one of her comedy routines for Luke, Renee, and Connor.

"And did I tell you about the time where I worked in a nursery? It was awful! All of the screaming and crying- and the babies didn't like it either!"

"Ha!" Luke laughed. "Haha… Because the… and the babies… sigh…" he said the word 'sigh' out loud.

Connie grinned dopily. "I had to work across town since I was banned from the other nursery a few weeks ago. Who knew you can't make withdrawals?"

As Luke continued to laugh heavily, Renee pulled Connor aside.

"Sister, I was enjoying myself!" Connor whined.

"Sir, we must discuss elimination plans as soon as possible. That means now," Renee said, glaring at him.

"Ugh. Fine, but only because your vibe is turning sour, which means-"

"Connor!" Renee said sharply "Focus!"

"Why?" Connor asked. "It's not like we have anywhere else to be."

Renee relaxed. "Old habits die hard, I suppose. Nevertheless, we must choose who to pursue, in the case that we lose."

Connor nodded. "Ilyria then. Her vibe is- you know, I doubt you'd understand. But there is certainly a secret held within her, one that she tries desperately to keep under wraps."

"You're basing who we should eliminate," Renee said flatly, "on a gut feeling."

"That I am, sister," Connor ran a hand through his long hair. "Anyone else you had in mind?"

"Ilyria will do for now. However, I suggest we gain the trust of both Connie and Luke."

"And why is that?"

Renee stiffened. "In order to put ourselves in the majority, we need two allies. I have noticed Addie's affection for Ilyria, so he wouldn't vote against her. Connie and Luke are the only ones left over."

"Wow," Connor whistled, impressed. "You're smart. Pretty, too, although you have horrible fashion sense."

Renee was flustered, something that didn't normally occur. "Um… thank you?"

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"Did… did Connor just _compliment_ me?"

* * *

"I'll speak to Luke. You will speak to Connie," Renee commanded. "But only if we lose."

"Okay. Hey, have you seen my ring?" Connor asked.

Renee shook her head. "We should go."

The two reentered the fire pit, and because of the shadows, no one had noticed their absence.

"Thank you!" Connie wrapped up. "You've been a wonderful audience! Goodnight!"

Luke loudly applauded. "Brava! Brava!"

Connie hopped off of the stump she was standing on. "Was it good?"

Luke clapped again. "It was great! Seriously, you should go on a TV show or something!"

There was an ironic pause.

"Oh yeah…" Luke scratched his chin thoughtfully. "So… what got you into comedy?"

"My natural sense of humor, I suppose," Connie replied. "I just kind of went for it. What about you?"

"You know Diana Cicero, the Hollywood actress?" Luke asked.

"Who doesn't?" Connie replied. "What about her?"

Luke pointed to himself. "She's my mom."

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I can see the resemblance," Connie said, examining Luke's angular chin and olive eyes. "What's it like?"

Luke shrugged. "Well, I like the attention I get. It's probably what got me on the show, so that's nice. But, I mean… he scratched his neck. It's hard sometimes, not having a reliable parental figure. I've stayed home alone for weeks on end."

Connie frowned. "The Hollywood life doesn't seem so glitz and glam now."

Luke laughed. "It's a great place to work, just not a great place to raise a kid."

Connie shook her head. "Welp, that's enough sadness for one night. I'm getting some shuteye."

"Then sleep we shall!" Luke announced, before flopping dramatically onto his palm frond bed. Connie laughed and joined him.

* * *

Confessional: Connie- Wily Wombats

"I'm glad I have a friend like Luke. He's… eccentric, but fun to be around."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"Connie's great! She's the funniest girl I've ever met, and she's smart, too. See! Friendship!

* * *

It was now very late. Most of the Wily Wombats were sleeping.

Most of them.

Connor, however, was running through the woods, searching for something.

"C'mon, advantage, c'mon…" he muttered. "...I'll find you…"

He tripped on a log and landed face-first in the mud.

* * *

Confessional: Connor- Wily Wombats

"I was up late… searching for an advantage…" he yawns wearily. "Just in case, you know?... So I might be… a little tired… but I'm sure I'll be fine."

Connor falls asleep in the confessional.

* * *

Connor suddenly bumped into Ilyria, sending them both to the ground.

"What are you doing here?" They said simultaneously, panicked.

"This is _juuuust_ like you," Connor groaned. "This kind of unreliability is why we're voting you out next…!" He clapped a hand over his mouth.

"What?" Ilyria asked menacingly.

"Nothing…" Connor backed away under Ilyria's unflinching gaze. "Well, I should get some sleep. Challenges to be, places to make, confessionals to do. You know the drill, haha!"

Connor ran away, leaving an angry but nervous Ilyria.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"Am I really on the chopping block? Addie was right… Ugh."

* * *

 _Day 2_

* * *

Confessionals: Nikki (Tepid Turtles), Michael and Madeline (Daring Dingos)

The three were simultaneously shown opening their secret advantages in separate confessionals. The camera first zoomed in on Michael.

" _Game Changer 3,_ " he read, " _Friend Defend. Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top four, this advantage will nullify every vote against the person of your choosing, other than yourself._ Great. I get an advantage, and I can't even play it for myself. Just great."

The camera changed to Madeline, who was opening her advantage.

" _Game Changer 1: Power Pilfer. Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top eight, this advantage allows you to block the votes from two competitors of your choosing._ Awesome! Janson and I can take out Ruby with this!"

Finally, it was Nikki's turn. She opened her advantage, but her face fell.

" _You have received the Curse of K'wala… this is a detriment to your gameplay. At random occurrences, you will be penalized in any number of ways. If you are eliminated, the curse will be passed on to a random competitor. If you can survive three elimination ceremonies, with the curse, you may pass it on to the contestant of your choosing."_

"No…" Nikki sighed. "...Why me?..."

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

"So, you're… cursed?" Abigail asked. Nikki had just told her, and the rest of the team, about her predicament.

Nikki nodded and bit her lip. "Sorry… You can just… vote me out, I guess…"

"No!" Abigail stood. "We're not going to let a dumb gameplay aspect ruin your chances! We'll still conduct every vote fairly. Right, guys?"

Everyone found another spot to look.

"No offense, shortie," Drew said, "but you're kind of the easy target now. If I were you, I'd start makin' some alliance offers."

"AIRMAIL!"

 _WHUMP._

A canister dropped from the sky, approximately an inch from Nikki's face. The shy girl flinched, and picked up the canister, unraveling the message inside.

Abigail looked over her shoulder at the message. "Alliance offers will have to wait," she conceded. "It's challenge time."

 _ **Challenge Location: Lake Gellafiche**_

The three teams trudged through the sand, where Chris was waiting and made their way to the mats in front of the lake.

John asked the obvious question. "Wasn't there a boxing ring here?"

Indeed, the platform was gone, replaced by nine tall poles in a triangular formation.

"There, was," Chris said, "but we had to sack it after we got sued."

"Why am I not surprised?" Kevin muttered quietly. Faith giggled.

"Well, who's ready for the first immunity challenge!" Chris asked. The players cheered.

"Here's how this one is going to work. Three members of each team will balance on these poles, while the other three members try their darndest to knock other people off _their_ poles. Last team standing wins. Capeesh?"

The players nodded.

"In addition, you're playing for a reward. The last team standing wins..."

He pulled a blanket off the prize.

"Six air mattresses!" He finished. There were six balled-up mattresses, and a pump, sitting in a basket. "Second place gets…"

He pulled off another blanket. "Two air mattresses to share! Is it worth playing for?"

Everyone nodded, eager to play for their chance to win.

"Last place gets nothing, except a date with me at the Verloor Island Conclave. One more thing…"

Chris pointed at Nikki. "Because of your curse," the other teams gasped, "you _must_ be a balancer. That's all; we're giving you an easy off today. Now, get moving!"

The teams dismissed.

"All right!" Chris cried, a few moments later. "For the Daring Dingos, we have **Janson** , **Madeline** , and **Ruby** balancing, with **Faith** , **John** , and **Michael** attacking!"

He turned to the next team. "For the Tepid Turtles, we have **Arianna** and **Kevin** balancing alongside **Nikki** , who was forced to by the Curse of K'wala, and **Abigail** , **Drew** , and **Spencer** attacking!"

"I look forward to it," Abigail grinned fiercely, looking straight at Janson, who gulped.

"And for the Wily Wombats, we have **Ilyria** , **Connor** and **Luke** balancing, and **Addie** , **Connie,** and **Renee** on the offense!"

Connor gave the host a sleep-deprived thumbs-up, wobbling already.

"He's gonna _fail…_ " Chris whispered. "Okay, then! Ready?..."

…

"Go!"

The teams started to charge for the poles. Some stayed behind to defend.

"Ready?" Addie whispered to Connie and Renee. "One, two three!"

"NIKKI!" The entire team shouted.

"Eep!" Nikki screamed and fell off her pole.

"And just like that, the Tepid Turtles are down to two!" Chris announced. Arianna and Kevin looked at each other nervously.

Faith, Michael, and John, the attackers for the Dingos, were not attacking at all- instead, they patrolled their team's poles on the defense.

"Remember…" Faith said. "All we have to do is outlast one of the other teams."

The boys nodded.

There was a moment of calm.

"Yah!" Drew suddenly charged, aiming for the Wombats' poles. Spencer and Abigail were in his wake. The trio made for Luke's pole.

"Uh-oh," Luke muttered. He was already struggling to stay on the pole.

"Defend!" Addie called. Connie and Renee aided him, each holding off one member, but Drew slipped past Renee and-

"And Luke falls!" Chris announced. "Closely followed by Kevin!"

The Turtles turned. John had run over to their undefended poles and had taken out the writer, and was now working on Arianna, who struggled to stay balanced.

"It's now all Janson, Madeline and Ruby left for the Dingos, Connor and Ilyria for the Wombats, and Arianna for the Turtles! Will this be a blowout in the Dingos' favor?"

The others simultaneously turned towards the Dingos' poles.

"CHARGE!" Drew called, and six bodies hurled themselves in that direction.

"Oh no…" Faith muttered, before being pinned by Connie and Renee. She turned to see Michael, who had been pinned by Spencer and Addie.

Moving as one, Drew and Abigail shook Madeline's and Janson's poles, determined to take the couple out.

"Ahaha!" Drew laughed victoriously as Madeline fell, dazed.

Abigail looked up at Janson and grinned. "You thought you'd pull one over me? DID YOU?!"

"Well…" she said, shaking the pole with every word. "I've… got… news… for… YOU!"

Abigail ripped the pole out of the sand, sending it and Janson flying. "Yes!"

John pushed her back, and everyone retreated to their spots.

"Wow!" Chris said. "With that turn of events, the Dingos are tied for last with the Turtles!"

"Hey, Drew!" Faith called. "Wanna even things out, making it one-all?"

Drew grinned maliciously. Then, the socialite and the singer charged for Ilyria's pole.

"Shoot!" Ilyria fell ungracefully as they retreated again.

Chris smiled. "It's now anyone's game! We have a sleep deprived Connor for the Wombats, a fraidy-cat Ruby for the Dingos, and a stubborn Arianna for the Turtles! The next person to fall will lose the challenge for their team!"

Ruby was frightened.

Arianna was confident.

Connor was swaying.

There was an eerie sense of calm.

"...Now!" Drew called. Spencer had set up a catapult and began firing while Drew charged and Abigail defended.

"Go!" Faith and John charged while Michael stayed back.

"Word of command!" Connie grinned as all of her team charged into the fray.

Half the group went for Ruby, while the other went for Arianna- they were set on taking out the threats instead of the sleepless hippie.

"Whoah!" Ruby's pole started to shake.

"Rgh!" Arianna grunted as her pole shook.

"Ruby and Arianna are unsteady!" Chris called. "Who will be the first to fall? Who will lose: the Dingos or the Turtles?"

"Ack!" Suddenly, someone fell.

…

…

...

"And the Wombats are out!"

" _What?!"_ Everyone turned to see a sheepish Connor, soaking wet and on the ground.

"Hey, brothers and sisters… So, I eventually decided that… In light of recent events… I wanted to establish our position as the underdogs..." he explained awkwardly.

"He dozed off," Renee concluded while glaring at the hippie.

"Welp," Drew shrugged.

He rammed into Ruby's pole as everyone was still distracted, sending the shy girl toppling into the lake.

"The Turtles win with a clutch victory! The Turtles win!"

Arianna jumped off her pole to celebrate. "You did it, Drew!"

Drew turned to her. "I mean, I-"

He was surprised when Arianna pressed her lips against his. Everyone cheered louder at that.

"Wow," Drew said. "That felt good."

"All right, calm down!" Chris said, but even he was smiling. "Turtles! You've won two in a row now. Come here to claim your mattresses; none of you will go home tonight."

They cheered again as they got their prize.

"Dingos. Two mattresses for you. Not as good, but you're all still safe."

They smiled and got their mattresses.

Finally, Chris faced the Wily Wombats. "What can I say? You sucked _hard,_ guys. I'll be seeing you tonight at the Verloor Island Conclave."

They sighed, and all of the teams trudged back to their islands.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Tepid Turtles

"Man… I'm on top of the freakin' world! I think I'll go buy a lottery ticket next, haha."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"I'm glad I was able to at least get second. I'd have been voted off for sure otherwise."

* * *

Confessional: Connor- Wily Wombats

"Am I scared of going home? No. Renee and I have got a plan. It's time to go, Ilyria."

* * *

 _Night 2_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Wily Wombats**_

The six members of the Wily Wombats- Addie, Connie, Connor, Ilyria, Luke, and Renee- were sitting on a wooden bench, waiting for Chris to arrive.

"Did you talk to Luke?" Connor murmured to Renee, who nodded.

* * *

Confessional: Connor- Wily Wombats

"Renee's and my strategy is to take out Ilyria now before she even knows what's happening. And it's going to work, believe you me."

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"As much as I hate to admit it, Connor is in danger of being eliminated tonight. As a reporter, I can glean people's opinions, and even Connie and Luke are mad at him. Hopefully, they are still able to make the correct decision. We'll know soon enough."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"The first elimination rolls around, and, despite my advice, Ilyria is on the bottom. All I know is who I'm voting for tonight. The rest is all in the air."

* * *

"Wombats!" Not Chris, but Logan greeted as he entered the sitting area. "Welcome to the Verloor Island Conclave!"

As he said this, the entirety of the conclave was revealed. It was a large straw hut filled with aboriginal artifacts. In the middle, there were three polished benches surrounding a blazing bonfire.

"Since Chris is… ah, _indisposed_ for the moment…" Logan chose his words carefully.

The scene suddenly changed to inside a polished room, where the host was taking a mud bath. "Ah, this is the _life_!"

"...I'll be running this ceremony," Logan finished. "So, what's the dynamic like in your team? Addie?"

"Well, tensions are high, to say the least. Connor effectively threw the challenge by falling asleep," the kleptomaniac said.

"Falling asleep?" Logan repeated. "What happened?"

"It was a rough first night, brother," Connor admitted. "I had difficulty getting any rest."

Logan nodded. "Luke, has there been any talk of advantages going around?"

"Not that I know of," Luke replied.

"Logan," Ilyria interrupted. "There has been at least some talk because Connor was up last night searching for one."

Silence followed this.

"That's a bold statement," Logan said. "What's your take, Renee?"

Renee took a breath. "While it is much too early to do these kinds of things, conversely, Ilyria was almost never by the campsite. Maybe she has an advantage, too. And I'd rather trust the lesser of two proposed evils, ergo, Connor."

"Connie?" Logan asked.

The comedienne bit her lip. "I don't know. However, my vote has not changed because of this conversation," she said ominously.

Logan nodded. "Well, it's time to vote. We'll go in alphabetical order, meaning Addie, you're up."

Addie stood up and went over to a smaller his to cast his vote.

"Connor," he said, writing the hippie's name down, "You're too unpredictable for this game."

Connie went next. She took a very short time to cast her vote. "This sucks."

Connor was next. He wrote Ilyria's name down and smirked. "Next time, don't keep secrets."

Ilyria went next. She wrote Connor's name down silently.

Luke was next. "Oh, I don't know, I don't know…"

Renee was last. "It's nothing personal, Ilyria, I promise," she said, writing her name down. "I promise."

Once she came back, Logan stood up. "I'll tally the votes."

There was a moment of tension.

Logan came back, the urn containing the votes in hand. "If anyone wants to play a Game Changer, now would be that time."

Silence.

"OK," Logan said, lifting the lid off the urn. "I'll now read the votes. Whoever receives the most votes will be asked to leave immediately and will be the first person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala."

He pulled out the first vote. "Connor."

The hippie nodded, not looking worried.

"Connor again," Logan said, pulling out the next vote.

He merely shrugged.

"Ilyria," Logan revealed the third vote. "That's two votes Connor, one vote Ilyria."

The secret agent sighed. "Figures."

Logan read the fourth vote. "Ilyria. We're tied, 2-2."

Ilyria shook her head. Addie patted her back.

Logan read the fifth and the sixth votes simultaneously. "The first person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

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"...yet to be decided," Logan held up both votes. One read Ilyria, the other Connor. "We have a tie."

Connor looked annoyed, while Ilyria looked relieved.

"Here's how this will work," Logan said officially. "Everybody except Connor and Ilyria will re-cast their votes. You may only vote for those two. Whoever has the most votes will be asked to leave. However," he added. "If there is _another_ tie, then everyone _except_ Connor and Ilyria will be forced to do a tiebreaker, with the loser going home. So if you were on the fence last time, you may want to change your vote so you yourself aren't on the block."

The others looked shocked as the message sunk in.

"With that, everyone except Connor and Ilyria, go recast your votes," Logan ordered. "Addie, please take the urn as you go."

Addie brought the urn to the hut and started to cast his vote. "I hate to say it, but I'm a bit doubtful. I don't want it to be my butt on the line." He cast his vote.

Connie went next. "I'm going with my gut here."

Luke went next. "This is harder than the _last_ one! Oy vey…"

Renee silently and quickly wrote down a name, before sitting back down.

"I'll go tally the votes," Logan said.

Connor and Ilyria looked at each other, and for a moment, they shared the same expression- fear.

Logan returned. "I'll read the votes, without telling you, and declare our loser."

He read the first one, expressionless.

His mouth curled as he read the second vote.

He flat-out smirked as he read the third.

"Interesting…" He read the fourth. "We have our loser. The first person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

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"...Connor. Sorry, bud, it was unanimous."

"Unanimous?" Connor repeated. "But that means…" he turned to Renee. "YOU!"

Renee looked up sadly. "I couldn't risk it, I'm sorry. Could we be friends after the show, though?"

Connor's expression softened. He opened his mouth and-

"No."

Connor exited the conclave, his head held high, leaving a tearful Renee.

"Ouch," Logan sympathized. "You five are safe. You may leave now."

The now Connor-less Wily Wombats did so.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"I came that close to going home," she says, punching her fingers together. "Addie was right- I need to start playing for real."

* * *

"And with that," Logan turned to a camera. "Our hippie leaves, bringing the number of players down to seventeen. Will Renee recover from this strategical and emotional setback? Will Nikki survive the curse? Will Ilyria start to play for keeps? Find out soon on…

Total!

Drama!

The Curse of K'wala!"

* * *

Final Confessional: Connor- 18th Place

"Renee betrayed me! Luke and Connie betrayed me! _Everyone betrayed me!_ It's so angering that I wasn't able to take Ilyria out! This is complete and utter-"

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Addie voted for… Connor_

 _Connie voted for… Connor_

 _Connor voted for… Ilyria_

 _Ilyria voted for… Connor_

 _Luke voted for… Ilyria_

 _Renee voted for… Ilyria_

 _-Tiebreaker Votes:-_

 _Addie voted for… Connor_

 _Connie voted for… Connor_

 _Luke voted for… Connor_

 _Renee voted for… Connor_

 **So there you have it! Connor is the first to go. This was the plan from day one, and I think it sets up well for future chapters. And for those of you wondering, the Drianna kiss wasn't their first one, but it was their first real one. Let me know what you think!**

 **Synopsis on Connor**

 **Hero, Villain or Neutral: Neutral**

 **Why: While he did have his 'villainous' moments, Connor was not intentionally trying to be evil- he only wanted to win.**

 **Best Moment: Personally, I think Connor's best moment was almost (but not quite) orchestrating Ilyria's elimination. It would have been a shocker.**

 **Worst Moment: Night 1, when he a) Was looking for an advantage too early in the game, b) accidentally revealed his plan to Ilyria, and c) got no sleep because of these, causing his team to lose.**

 **Question Time!**

 **1: Was Connor's elimination expected? Was it justified?**

 **2: How do you think Nikki will fare with the curse?**

 **3: With two advantages and a 2-2-2 split on the Daring Dingos (Faith, John, Janson, Madeline, Michael, and Ruby), who will be the first to go down on that team?**

 **Thanks! Have a great day!**

 **o0o0o**

 **18th: Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**


	5. Ep4: Mistakes Are Made

**Shorter chapter today, guys- only 7000 words. Enjoy!**

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _After winning the first challenge, the Tepid Turtles should have been psyched. Instead, all they could do was talk alliance plans! Things got even more heated when Nikki received the Curse of K'wala and Arianna found a mysterious note belonging to Spencer- I wonder what that's all about. The Daring Dingos were very much the same, since a series of alliances and advantages had everyone on their toes. After losing the immunity, the Wily Wombats had two clear targets: Connor and Ilyria. In the end, despite the first vote being tied, Connor was sent packing after being betrayed by his own alliance!_

 _Seventeen remain! Who will stand tall and who will fall short? Find out now on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and I know I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Abigail and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Gahkah-Dew, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 2_

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Luke**_

"Some elimination, huh?" Addie stretched as the Wombats came back from the conclave.

"Indeed," Ilyria said. She turned to Renee. "For the record, I don't enjoy your baseless claims that I have an advantage."

Renee looked at the agent, equally mad. "For the record, you have made no claims, baseless or otherwise, to not having one. We all know that you're hiding _something_. You've also spent the most time away from camp, which adds to my suspicion because not only would it give you more time to search, but also because you wouldn't need to face us after you obtained it. You may take me for a moron, ma'am, but I'm not."

Everyone stopped walking.

"She does make sense," Luke murmured. Connie nodded her agreement.

"See?" Renee said. "I make sense. The only reason you, Addie, cannot see this is because you are infatuated with her," she finished plainly.

The kleptomaniac went beet red.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"Yes, I'm mad. Can you blame me? I let my emotions get the best of me and voted out my closest ally, and now I'm on the bottom of my team. Connie and Luke are buddy-buddy, and Addie and Ilyria are like peanut butter and jam, leaving me as the swing, so I fully intend to side against the biggest target, Ilyria."

* * *

"You're wrong," Addie whispered.

"And how would you prove that? How _could_ you prove that? Has Ilyria even told _you_ why she's never at camp?" Renee snapped.

Addie went quiet.

"So you either don't know or else you _do_ know and trust her too much. In either case, I cannot trust you, which is why you are on the chopping block," Renee finished. "Now, it's early, but I'm going to get some sleep. I don't want to be another Connor."

Renee trudged off to the shelter.

"Dang…" Luke whistled. "She's T.O.'d."

"Obviously," Connie agreed. "I think she had a bit of a crush on Connor, in all honesty."

"Are you guys really against us?" Addie asked.

"Therein lies the issue, Mr. Potter," Luke donned a British professor's voice. "You just said 'us'. You two are so aligned that you think of yourselves as one group, not two people who vote together. If I vote one of you out, it's because of that, not because I don't trust you."

Addie thought about it. "That actually makes sense. Ilyria?"

She was, of course, gone.

"Later down the line," Luke resumed his professor act, "that may be a problem. You should find her."

Addie nodded. "Um… actually… could you do it? It's like you said, we shouldn't be together all the time."

Luke thought about it. "Yeah, OK."

He got up and left, leaving Addie and Connie sitting by the fire.

Addie opened his mouth, but Connie cut him off. "Before you say anything, I'm not going to agree to any alliances or anything that involves assassinations."

"Darn. I guess I'll just have to eliminate Renee normally then," Addie replied as Connie snickered.

"Seriously, though," Addie leaned over. "I need to talk to you about something else."

Connie smiled. "Now I'm intrigued. What's up?"

"How did you just pick up on Renee's crush on Connor like that?" Addie asked.

Connie had a knowing look in her eyes. "Intuition, I'd say."

"Well…" Addie trailed off, waving his hand.

"You want to know if Ilyria feels the same about you as you do her," Connie stated. It wasn't a question.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"I don't know why I need to know this, but I do."

* * *

"This is tricky," Connie said. "If I tell you the truth, it could hurt you one way or the other. But," She added as the kleptomaniac leaned in. "There's definitely something there. A spark."

"Are you going to use that cliched metaphor?" Addie rolled his eyes. "If you don't blow on it, it will die, but if you blow too hard, it will go out."

"Um… no…" Connie said. "If I had cue cards, I'd be fumbling with them."

"You can always ask Spencer for some," Addie grinned. It was Connie's turn to be embarrassed.

"Let's focus on _your_ love life right now," Connie sheepishly smiled. "My dad does psychology- he says that there are five ways to express your affections. Physical contact, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts and acts of service."

Addie counted them on his fingers. "Physical contact is a big no since I don't want to die, she seems immune to compliments, so words are out, she always wants to be alone, so quality time isn't it, and something tells me she wouldn't appreciate gifts."

"Well, there you go. Acts of service- do something for her," Connie gave him a thumbs-up.

"OK…" Addie said. "Thanks. You know, it would sure be a shame if you voted her off before I could do something…"

Connie laughed. "Nope, you're not getting my vote that easily."

"Ah, can't fault me for trying," Addie snapped his fingers. "I'm going to hit the sack. Thanks, Connie."

They shook hands, and Addie left.

* * *

Confessional: Connie- Wily Wombats

"I sure hope I'm right. Otherwise, Addie and Ilyria don't like each other, and neither of them like _me,_ and by extension, Luke, which would be exactly what Renee wants. One small decision like that can ruin your game."

* * *

"I spy with my little eye…" Luke hopped over to Ilyria.

"What," Ilyria glared.

"What," Luke copied, taking on a surly expression.

Ilyria almost laughed. "I'm not that serious, am I?"

"You'd be surprised," Luke shrugged.

Ilyria glared at him. "Why are you here, anyway?"

Luke see-sawed his hand. "A couple reasons. First and foremost, to see if you were interested in an alliance."

There was a moment of silence.

"What- _me?_ " Ilyria pointed to herself.

Luke nodded. "Not a single person would see it coming. First, we get out Renee. Then, if worst comes to worst, Connie."

"Connie?!" Ilyria rubbed her temples exasperatedly. "You two are best friends!"

Luke grinned suspiciously. "That's the problem. Besides, I doubt we'll go to two more eliminations before the teams switch up. Heck, I voted for you at the last elimination ceremony. You and I know it's a gamble, but, as a wise philosopher once said, 'No one makes it to the end of a survival-based reality TV show by playing it safe'."

Ilyria sat down. "Give me a minute to process this. So _you,_ who voted for me less than an hour ago, want to align with _me,_ even if it means betraying your closest friend and ally, for the sole purpose of- of-"

Luke looked over at her. "I'll humor you. For the sole purpose of being in power. But, if we keep the alliance secret, then the way I'll vote is obvious. Connie… she'll be mad, but I'd rather have two strong allies than one-"

"Two strong allies?" Ilyria intercepted.

Luke paled. "I, uh, I mean…"

Ilyria stood up angrily. "You're _using_ me to be in an alliance with Addie, aren't you!"

"I-"

"Well guess what! I'm sure I can get Renee to vote for you as easily as she did Connor! Congratulations," the Brit said scathingly. "You're now my biggest target."

She stormed off in a huff. Luke face-palmed.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"Luke is tricky, for sure. But he's also dumb, and that's why he's got to go."

* * *

Luke moped back to camp, where Addie and Connie were talking and laughing.

"Hey, where's Ilyria?" Addie asked.

"She's, ah… out for the moment," Luke frowned. "I don't know when she'll be back."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"Abort mission! Abort! Seriously, that backfired _big._ I guess I'm going to my plan B and setting my sights on-"

* * *

 _ **Daring Dingos: Faith, Madeline, Ruby, Janson, John, Michael**_

"-Ruby! Faith!" Janson called. "Get in here!"

The girls entered the cave, where everyone else was waiting.

"How's Batwatch?" John asked.

"It's good. Small colony, but nothing we couldn't handle," Ruby pretended to flex her muscles.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"In case you didn't know, Batwatch is our way of keeping the bats out of the cave. We fashioned a few torches out of sticks, and we use them to fend off any bats that try to come into the cave."

Her smile faded. "Honestly, though, it's a little sad that we had to steal their cave. Luckily, it's only for a few weeks."

* * *

"You have the fronds?" Faith asked John.

John nodded his assent. "Yep, painted and ready to go."

"How does this work again?" Madeline asked, her voice confused.

"I smeared some berry juice on these fronds," John explained. "So, whoever gets the purple ones will get the mattresses tonight. We'll just randomly pick every night."

Michael walked over. "May I?"

He drew the first frond. Everyone soon followed.

"Alright!" Madeline said, revealing her purple frond.

"Cool," Michael said. His was also purple.

"That's settled then," John sighed.

"Is there an issue?" Michael wondered.

John shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing. I just strained my back in the last challenge. I was hoping to get one-"

"You can have it," Michael blurted.

"What? Are you sure?" John asked, but the corner of his mouth turned up.

Michael nodded. "I've slept on worse."

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

"Why do I keep wanting to provide for John? It doesn't make any logical sense!...

…

…

...No! I don't- I'm not-"

* * *

"Sweet," John flopped down on the mattress.

"Are we done here?" Faith asked. "Good, then I think I'll go back to Batwatch. Coming, Ruby?"

Ruby was curiously looking back and forth between a sad Michael and a relaxed John. Startled, she looked up at the socialite. "Huh? Oh, right. Let's go."

The two exited the cave.

"So… John and Michael, huh?" Ruby grinned narrowly, once they were out of earshot.

Faith smiled back. "It's kind of cute, to be honest, but," she dropped her voice even lower. "I still don't trust John, actually."

Ruby's expression was replaced with a frown. "No? Why not?"

Faith shrugged. "He's openly admitted to being in an alliance with everybody on this team. If we don't take him out, he can pick whatever side he wants to run the game."

Ruby waved her torch around. "You make him out to be some kind of villain."

"Everyone can be a villain for a million dollars, whether they mean to or not," Faith said.

Ruby nodded. "Okay, now let's talk about something else. I've had enough strategy for one day."

"Agreed."

They sat in silence for a while.

Faith cleared her throat. "So, who do you think the Wombats voted-"

"Faith," Ruby warned, but she was smirking with humor.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"I can't help it- I'm always geared towards strategy- who to befriend, who to align with, who I should vote against. But that's not a bad thing… right?"

* * *

In the cave, the four others were relaxing around the fire.

"What are you reading?" John asked Michael pleasantly. The nerd had his nose buried in a novel.

Michael sighed. "You wouldn't find it interesting. No one does."

"Humor me," John stood up, almost defiantly.

Michael flipped the cover so that he could see. " _The Rise and Fall of the Snowman Empire._ "

John faltered. "...Oh yeah! I, uh… love that…"

Michael silenced him with a look.

"I think I'll get some air," Michael stood up and left, leaving a disappointed John.

Janson snickered. "John, if only you were as good at lying as you were at music."

"Gee, thanks," John grumbled. "I guess we'd better talk alliance plans, then, before he comes back."

Madeline agreed. "Well, are we still going with Ruby?"

Janson thought about it. "Have you considered Michael, instead? A blindside, of sorts?"

John's eyes widened, and he looked at the ground, his brow furrowed.

Janson, while the guitarist was doing this, noted the reaction and looked at Madeline, mouthing, _Alliance- John and Michael._

Madeline mouthed back, _So, John? He's too-_

She snapped her mouth shut as John looked back up. "Okay, I'll vote for Michael."

"That's wonderful," Janson replied cheerily. "Meeting adjourned."

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"I shall be the first to admit, I was merely… 'spitballing', as you might call it, to see if John was aligned with Michael or Faith. It just so happened that I correctly guessed on my first attempt. Because of this new discovery, I have options. Understand, poor Madeline will vote any way I want her to, so all I must do is convince the other two groups of two to turn on each other. And then… the game is my oyster."

* * *

John rose. "I, um… should go. I have to… er…"

Janson waved his hand. "Go, go. We've reached the decision, have we not? Now we can relax."

"OK," John exited the cave.

Janson let out a laugh. "Again, a terrible liar."

Madeline looked worried. "Do you think he'll-"

"Tell Michael? Absolutely."

Now she looked _very_ worried. "Then why can't the other four turn on you and me?"

Janson gripped her hand. "We'll be okay. Michael will, in his lack of foresight, assume John a liar. He'll have to stick with whatever plan he thought of- and based on how he acted around us all, we know it's not you or myself. As for Faith… she's intelligent. She'll have found out John's treason by now, assuredly. In essence, we are safe because we've put targets on the backs of the threats."

Madeline shook her head. "I don't know…"

"Trust me."

Janson and Madeline looked each other in the eyes, maybe for a second too long.

Madeline held his gaze. "I trust you."

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- Daring Dingos

"Janson is amazing! He's smart _and_ sweet! I almost revealed my advantage, but I decided that I'm not doing that for anyone. Things go wrong when people see you as too powerful."

* * *

"Michael!" John called. "Michael!"

"You found me," Michael walked into the area, bored and emotionless.

"They're targeting you," John stated. "Janson and Madeline."

Michael stopped in his tracks. "No."

"What?"

"John, it's _you_ they're after. The couple must know we're aligned, and this is a bluff. You just revealed our alliance!" Michael said angrily.

John was taken aback. "Oh, crap. What do I do?"

Michael took a moment's pause. "We're in a corner. We need to convince the girls to take out Madeline- she's basically Janson's free vote."

John nodded. "Will you-"

Michael cut him off. "No, I can't. They'll assume me the messenger because they don't trust you. Sorry, but you have to talk to them alone."

John looked grim. "I was afraid of this. I'll talk to them."

He walked away.

* * *

Confessional: John- Daring Dingos

"I hope this works, or else it's me on the chopping block."

* * *

"-and that's why Madeline needs to go," John finished explaining to Faith and Ruby.

"OK." Faith agreed. "Ruby and I have to talk, so can you leave?"

John did so. "Please, consider it." He was then gone.

Faith turned to Ruby. "This game is complicated. So, we can either vote for John, who's untrustworthy and desperate, or Madeline, who's alliance partner is secretly manipulating us all, according to John, who we wouldn't normally trust but is backed by Michael- or so he claims."

Ruby groaned. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. I want to get some sleep."

And sleep they did.

* * *

 _Day 3_

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

The Sun was just emerging from the horizon, and yet everyone was asleep.

Blame it on the mattresses.

Soon, however, Arianna awoke. She looked around, and, noticing no one to be awake, grinned.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Tepid Turtles

"Allow me to read the note that conveniently flew into my hand two days ago. It reads:

...

 _Kevin,_

 _Could you help me write a poem for Connie? I want to tell her how I feel._

 _-Spencer._

...

Is that gold, or is it gold? But wait! It's gets better, because here," Arianna holds up a torn piece of notebook paper, "is that poem! And guess who's going to use that to her advantage?"

* * *

"Attention, everyone!" Arianna called, waking up the restful players.

"Ugh, why'd you wake us?" Kevin asked groggily. "I was having the best sleep of my- _isthatmynotebookpaper?"_

"Yes," Arianna admitted. "I had to take a blank one so I could write down all of my thoughts. But, on this paper, is a confession of love…"

"...for Drew."

Kevin gasped. He was still the only one alert, but Spencer was beginning to realize the importance of the situation. Nikki, surprisingly, was out cold.

"And so," Arianna paused dramatically. "Allow me to begin."

She unfolded the paper and began to read.

" _What is up with that Drew poser anyways? He acts like he's so cool and independent, but follows Arianna like a lovesick puppy. He wants to be alone but stays in the group. It's like he has no idea what to do, so he changes his mind every thirty seconds. I feel bad for the guy- almost. Maybe he'll learn a lesson, being here-"_

Arianna paused, her eyes widening.

Kevin and Abigail shared a glance.

Drew was shocked.

Spencer's eyes were thrilled.

"Oh… my God…" Arianna faltered. "This isn't the paper I stole!"

"Stole?" Kevin could barely contain his laughter. "It seems like a confession to me."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

Kevin holds another piece of paper and is giggling slightly. "That was priceless! And yeah, I switched the papers last night. It should be enough to cause a small rift between our resident lovebirds."

* * *

Drew stormed off angrily.

"Wait! Babe!" Arianna called after him. When he didn't turn around, she slowly faced Kevin. "You."

"Me," Kevin laughed. "You honestly believed you would be able to steal from me and get away with it? You'd better go fix what you broke, _Ari._ "

Arianna flipped her hair as she strode off proudly. Her face was reddening as the laughter echoed behind her.

"That was great!" Abigail high-fived the writer. "That's why you slept here, isn't it? To watch the show."

Kevin nodded. "Yep. I'll leave tonight," before anyone could interrupt, he added. "What did you think, Nikki?"

Nikki paled and bit her lower lip. "Um… It was… kind of… mean… I'm sorry."

Abigail pursed her lips. "No need to apologize for having an opinion, girl. But you don't think she deserved it?"

She slowly nodded. "I… I guess so…"

Abigail frowned. "You don't look-"

"AIRMAIL!"

 _WHUMP._

A canister landed at Nikki's feet.

"What the-" Kevin was confused. "We don't have a challenge until tomorrow, though."

"No… it's for me…" Nikki sighed. She showed the others the canister, which read, _For_ _Curse of K'wala Recipient._ "I should go… It says to open when I'm alone..."

"Well, if you can, hurry back," Abigail encouraged. "Bye!"

Nikki smiled sadly.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Tepid Turtles

"You know, of all the people to give the curse to first, Nikki was the worst choice. I thought we were on the verge of a breakthrough, but her confidence shatters every time we mention it. But hey, she's already a third through with it- all we have to do is, ah, not go to any elimination ceremonies. That should be easy, right?"

* * *

As Nikki left, she passed an arguing Drew and Arianna.

"Okay! It was a mistake! I admit!" Arianna yelled. "But you don't have to get so mad!"

"Mad? _Me?"_ Drew shouted back. "You haven't seen mad, sugar, you- is she gone?"

Arianna nodded. The two relaxed and sighed.

"Geez Louise, that's harder than it looks," Drew mentioned, taking a sip of water from his canteen. "You really think this is goin' to work?"

"Oh, totally. Did you hear them laughing as I walked away? They're all fooled," Arianna laughed. "They'll try and turn us against each other, they'll split the vote, and we can… can…"

"Unite amidst the chaos," Drew finished, imitating Kevin's voice. "It's beautiful, darlin'."

"It is," The mean girl relaxed on her mattress. "Life is good."

"What was the whole poem thing anyway? I mean, it was good, but what inspired you to steal a page insultin' me?" Drew wondered.

Arianna faltered. "I, er… just thought of it. In fact, I was going to take one insulting Nikki or Abigail, but… I must have grabbed the wrong one in the dark."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Tepid Turtles

"Truth time: I'm not telling Drew about Spencer and Connie. He hates both of them- if I tell him, he'll just try and use it over and over again. I'm trying to keep him focused on the main goal- Kevin."

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Tepid Turtles

"News flash, sugar: I'm no moron. You're hidin' something, and that something involves Spencer. But yeah, yeah, I'll play along."

* * *

"Welp, shall we?" Drew asked eloquently.

Arianna smiled. The two resumed their shouting fit.

Kevin and Spencer, who were walking along, heard the noise and grinned wryly.

"That's what I like to hear," Kevin said, content.

Spencer nodded. He pointed to the notebook in Kevin's hand.

"Alright, alright, let's do it," Kevin rolled his eyes. "So, what do you want to start with?"

The mime pointed to his eyes.

The writer frowned. "How she _looks,_ or what her eyes look like?"

Spencer held up two fingers.

"Okay. What do her eyes look like, then? Brown, soft, kind, humorous, et cetera." Kevin trailed off with his pen in the air as Spencer nodded eagerly.

Spencer grabbed the pen and wrote a quick phrase.

"That's good. When are you going to give this to her?"

The propmaster shrugged. He mimed speaking into a microphone and then cowering in fear.

Kevin understood. "Yeah, me too." He then stopped walking.

"Uh… I have to go. We'll do this later."

Spencer and Kevin shook hands, and Kevin hurriedly ran away.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Ah, man, I can't make _friends!_ I'll just lose them later, so I need to save myself the loss. See? I'm always working to be happy."

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Tepid Turtles

"..." Spencer shakes his head.

* * *

"Nikki? Nikki?" Abigail called. "...I guess she's gone."

She walked along in silence. "Wow. I don't think I've mentioned Janson once today."

"Maybe…" Abigail shook her head. "Maybe the others were right. M-m-maybe he's actually a nice guy…"

She kicked a rock. "I mean, seeing Drew and Arianna, I guess there's always someone worse."

"Should I forgive him?" Abigail asked herself.

"...Nah. He's going down."

* * *

 _Night 3_

* * *

 _Day 4_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: Mount Tarapyn**_

"Let's welcome back our three teams!" Chris said, standing atop of a brown, rocky mountain. Logan was behind him, mixing lemonade.

"First back, our first place Tepid Turtles!" Chris said. The five of them (Nikki was still absent) stood on the host's left.

"Next, our second place Daring Dingos!" They stood in the middle.

"And finally, the last place, Connor-free, Wily Wombats!" Chris announced. Those five went to the right.

Chris dusted off his spotless shirt. "First thing; I'll return Nikki to you, Turtles."

Nikki, half asleep and dazed, stumbled over to her team.

"What did you _do_ to her?" Abigail asked, half-mad, half-shocked.

"No surprises, missy," Chris wagged his finger. "Who's ready for the challenge today?"

The teams cheered.

"Alright! For today's challenge, we set up three bungee cords. Two members from each team will take turns jumping down the rock face and collecting colored sandbags from a basket at the bottom. Then, the other three will launch those sandbags into a basket located at the bottom of the mountain. Once there's enough weight in the basket, it will tip, raising a flag and signaling your win," Chris finished.

"Would you like to know your reward?" Logan asked. "The winning team, in addition to immunity, will receive…"

He lifted a cloche off a platter. "...One hundred po' boys! Shrimp, pork, and vegetarian options."

He lifted another cloche. "Second place… twenty po' boys!"

Abigail looked at the prize, and then at Nikki. "Did you take Nikki away… to force her to make po' boys all night?"

"They didn't even let me try them…" Nikki mumbled tiredly.

"You can't _do_ that!" Abigail put her hands on her hips.

"Ugh," Chris whined. "Fine, we'll hire some interns. Logan, do that."

"But I just made lemonade!" Logan protested. "I can't just- oh, all right."

He trudged off.

"Well, that's that," Chris said, satisfied. "Dingos, Turtles- you're sitting someone out. Who's it going to be?"

"Nikki," Kevin immediately said. His team looked at him. "She's dead on her feet, guys."

"Yeah, OK," Arianna agreed.

"We'll sit out Michael," Faith said.

"Alright, then get to your positions, everyone."

Time passed.

"Okay!" Chris said. "We're ready to start! For The Daring Dingos, we have **Faith and Janson** diving, with **Ruby, Madeline and John** throwing and **Michael** sitting out!"

"For the Tepid Turtles, we have **Arianna and Abigail** jumping, with **Kevin, Drew and Spencer** throwing and **Nikki** sitting out!"

"And for the Wily Wombats, we have **Addie and Luke** jumping with **Ilyria, Connie, and Renee** throwing!"

"Jumpers, are you ready?" Chris asked. Faith and Janson nodded, Arianna and Abigail grinned, and Addie and Luke high-fived.

"Throwers, you're not up yet, but are you ready?" He asked. They nodded.

"Well then…"

"Go!"

Faith, Arianna, and Luke strapped themselves in and jumped off the cliff.

"Woo!" Faith cheered.

"AGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Arianna shouted, gripping the rope like her life depended on it.

"Hey, this is pretty fun!" Luke mused simply, falling through the air at terminal velocity.

 _SPROING!_

The ropes reached their climax, and the three rushed to grab sandbags before-

"It's worse on the way uuuup!" Arianna screamed as she recoiled. She landed on the ground beside Abigail.

"Six!" Faith said, counting her sandbags.

"Eight," Luke called smugly.

"...Two…" Arianna muttered. "But only because I wasn't ready!"

Janson, Abigail, and Addie strapped up and jumped.

"Yeah! I'm flying!" Addie called.

"Whee!" Abigail fell, too.

Janson sat, stone-faced and emotionless, plummeting through the air.

 _SPROING!_

The three tried to scoop up as many sandbags as they could. Then they were pulled up and added to the piles.

"Nine," Janson nodded, knowing he couldn't be beaten.

"Seven," Abigail groaned.

"Seven as well," Addie called out.

"We're up again!" Faith went in.

Faith, Arianna, and Luke jumped. They got four, three, and six bags respectively.

Janson, Abigail, and Addie went. They each got ten, seven, and six bags.

It was Faith's, Arianna's, and Luke's turn. They got five, one, and nine bags.

The other three went again. Janson got eight, Abigail nine, and Addie seven bags.

"We have… Forty-three!" Faith said. "Do you think that's enough?"

Janson looked at the basket. "It should be if they throw well. Let's pass it on!"

"How many?" Arianna groaned.

"Um… twenty-nine," Abigail said, worried. "You're not very-"

"Keep going!" Arianna put on the gear.

Luke looked at his pile. "And we have...forty-three. Maybe we should do a few more?"

Addie nodded. "Agreed. We don't want to get stuck going back."

Luke and Arianna kept jumping.

"Thanks, guys!" Ruby said as she, Madeline, and John received the basket.

"Let's go!" John called, as he threw the first bag, which landed to the left.

"That's okay…" Faith said, "We have forty-two more."

"Forty-one," Madeline smiled as hers landed in the basket, lowering it a little.

"Good job, Madeline!" Janson cheered.

Meanwhile, at the top of the hill, jumping was still occurring.

"Yeah!" Addie fist-pumped as Luke came up big, dumping several sandbags into the pile.

"...Sixty-seven. That should be plenty," Luke said, woozy.

"Yep. Let's bring them over."

Arianna's and Abigail's jumping experience was not as good.

"...You didn't even get one?" Abigail spluttered exasperatedly.

Arianna looked a little green. "Go."

Abigail rolled her eyes and jumped, getting a few. "...And that makes thirty-seven. We might be here a while."

The other two teams were still throwing.

"Guys, we're running low…" John warned as he launched another sandbag, which landed in the basket. "I wasn't expecting us to need so many."

"Maybe we're close," Madeline said optimistically. Her next bag landed several feet short.

"We're smoking this, guys!" Connie cheered as sandbag after sandbag landed in her basket.

"My personal success was unprecedented," Renee admitted, as hers went in.

"You and me both," Ilyria agreed. "We're passing them!"

Suddenly, their flag rose.

"Hm?" Chris looked over, his mouth full of po' boy. "Hm! Hmm hmm hmmmmmm!"

"We win!" Luke cheered. "No losing streak for papa!"

"That's right!" Chris said after he swallowed. "The Wily Wombats win immunity and a whole lotta po' boys! But you're still playing for second, guys!"

"We're full," Arianna said, looking at the container of sandbags. "We have to deliver them."

"We're empty," John said, looking at the container. "You two need to go back."

Faith and Janson ran back as the Turtle boys opened fire.

"Man, this is harder than it looks," Kevin muttered. He threw one short, and then far.

Spencer had pulled his miniature catapult out of his satchel. He was loading the arm, but it was stuck. Frustrated, he threw it down the mountain.

"I got a streak goin', now," Drew smirked, landing sandbag after sandbag.

"Just give them to Drew!" Abigail called. Spencer and Kevin did so.

"How many?" Faith called, nervously looking at the boys on the opposing team.

"Enough," Janson breathed. "Go! Go!"

"We have a race?" Chris called. "Drew for the Turtles, and all three for the Daring Dingos!"

"Yes!" Drew cheered, as another one landed.

"Ha!" John laughed, getting two at a time.

"Who will win? The Turtles or the Dingos?" Chris wondered aloud.

Then, a flag raised.

…

…

…

…

…"The Turtles take second! They take second!"

The Tepid Turtles cheered while the Daring Dingos were glum.

"We did it!" Nikki screamed. She aggressively took a po' boy off the table.

"Sorry, guys," Faith sighed.

"Alright, settle down," Chris said. "First place- The Wily Wombats! Come claim your one hundred po' boys!"

They did so, cheering.

"Second place- The Tepid Turtles!" Chris announced. "Twenty- or should I say, nineteen, _Nikki_ \- po' boys!"

"I regret nothing…" Nikki murmured as her team carried them away.

"Daring Dingos," Chris shook his head. "You guys are off to a bad start. Logan will be seeing you at the Verloor Island Conclave tonight, where one of you will be voted off. Get ready for that."

They, too, walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"The streak is _over!_ Maybe Ilyria and I can reconnect over some steaming hot po' boy!"

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Tepid Turtles

"Man, I'm on fire! I've won two challenges for the team. It's all Drew, all the time."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"We lost, and now I have to vote my friends off. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing…"

* * *

 _Night 4_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Daring Dingos**_

"John," Michael hissed as they sat down on a bench. "I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" John asked.

"I have an advantage that can save you tonight," Michael said.

John shook his head. "Save it. I have faith in Faith," he snickered.

Michael missed the joke. "Well, I don't. I'm going to play it. End of discussion."

"Dingos," Logan sighed, welcoming to the conclave. "I expected more from you. I placed, like, sixty bucks on you. But alas, you ended up here all the same."

"Before we vote, we'll start with our discussion period," Logan said. "So, Janson, are there any clear alliances forming?"

Janson nodded. "Faith and Ruby are close, as are John and Michael."

Logan looked at them. "So, that obviously leaves three groups of two, counting you and Madeline."

He turned to Ruby. "Do you think two of these groups will team up on the third?"

Ruby blushed. "They might."

"And so it's safe to say there are targets."

"There are."

"And those targets are…?"

"Me," John raised his hand. "And Madeline."

"Wait, me?" Madeline looked baffled. "I knew I was on the bottom, but… wow."

"You know you're on the bottom of a 2-2-2 split?" Logan wondered. "Is this you, or the paranoia that comes with playing the game?

"Both," Madeline sighed.

"Faith, is it realistic to say that John and Madeline are on the chopping block right now?"

Faith paused. "In this game, no one is safe," she said ominously.

"Michael? Do you agree?"

Michael hesitated. "To an extent, you have to have a certain level of worry, but I do believe, in this case, that it will be John or Madeline eliminated tonight.

"And why is that?"

"Because John is untrustworthy, and Madeline is impressionable, to sum it up. Those are dangerous qualities to have."

"But Michael," Logan said. "If you're aligned with John, then the vote is obvious."

Michael shrugged. "So is Janson's."

"And Madeline," Logan asked, "How confident are you that you're safe tonight?"

Madeline surveyed the others. "I think I have a seventy percent chance of going home tonight."

Logan nodded slowly. "With that, it's time to vote. We'll go alphabetically, so Faith, you're up first."

Faith whispered something to Ruby, and then entered the hut. "Alright, I know who it is. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not."

Janson was next. "Goodbye, John, you untrustworthy fox, you."

John was next. "Faith and Ruby are my only hope." He wrote down Madeline's name.

Madeline was after him. "Sorry, John. It's nothing personal."

Michael was next. "Madeline, it's been a pleasure."

Ruby went last. "Faith told me the name, and I agree, but I hate doing this."

Once Ruby returned, Logan stood up. "I'll tally the votes."

He returned holding the votes. "If anyone has a Game Changer and would like to play it, now would be the time."

Madeline looked at Logan, stone-faced.

As John shook his head, Michael reached down…

...to adjust his boot. He said nothing.

"Alright. I'll read the votes. Whoever receives the most votes will leave immediately and become our seventeenth-place contestant."

Logan grabbed the first vote. "John."

John looked nervous, but Michael even more so.

"Madeline. We're tied, one-all."

Madeline shivered in apprehension.

"Madeline. Two votes Madeline, one vote John." Logan said.

Madeline looked at Janson, who was teary-eyed.

Logan read the fourth vote. "John. We've tied again."

The assistant reached in and grabbed both votes. "The second person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

…

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"John. 4-2 vote; it looks like Michael was right."

"No!" Michael said. "I could have-"

John silenced him. "But I told you not to. That's on me."

Logan interrupted "John, please leave."

"Bye, guys!" John called.

"WAIT!" Michael rushed over. "Call me?"

John was shocked. "What? Dude, I'm straight and I have a girlfriend."

"Oh…" Michael said, sinking, as John left.

"Brutal," Logan tutted. "Faith, Janson, Madeline, Michael, and Ruby; go back to camp. You're all safe."

Michael dragged his feet as he left.

"And we're down to sixteen!" Logan said. "How will the Dingos fare without John? Will Michael recover? And when will Spencer give the poem to Connie? All this and more, on…

Total!

Drama!

The Curse of K'wala!"

* * *

Final Confessional: John- 17th Place

"Wow… seventeenth? I thought I'd at least make the merge, but hey, I guess I'll just take it next time. I'm rooting for you, Michael! Don't disappoint!"

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Faith voted for… John_

 _Janson voted for… John_

 _John voted for… Madeline_

 _Madeline voted for… John_

 _Michael voted for… Madeline_

 _Ruby voted for… John_

 **Another day, another elimination. Believe it or not, until about halfway through the chapter, it was Nikki who was eliminated here, but you guys really seemed to like her so I spared the shy girl for at least one day.**

 **Synopsis on John**

 **Hero, Villain, or Neutral: Neutral**

 **Why: John is borderline hero, but had too many bad moves that ended up being his downfall, and bad social skills too.**

 **Best Moment: Ehhh, the jury's out on this one. Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Worst Moment: I'd say, his social game as a whole. What? That's not a moment? I'm the author, so quiet.**

 **Question Time!**

 **1: Did you like John? What was his best moment?**

 **2: Who will be the next to go, should the Wily Wombats lose again? (Addie, Connie, Ilyria, Luke, Renee)**

 **3: Will Michael recover from his heartbreak? Are you on team John or team Luke?**

 **Thanks! The next chapter will come soon (But I'm doing a chapter of HeimdallBeatsAll's Total Drama: Both Worlds first, so it'll be a bit)**

 **18th: Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **17th: John- The Passionate Guitarist**


	6. Ep5: Have A Little Faith In Me

_Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _After Connor's elimination, nerves on the Wily Wombats' island were fraying- especially those of Renee, who single-handedly tried to turn Luke and Connie against Ilyria, with marginal success. Kevin pulled a switcheroo on Arianna when she stole a poem of his, splitting her and Drew apart- or so everyone thought, when in reality, they were faking being angry at each other! When the Daring DIngos lost the challenge, John was sent home, but not before Michael revealed his true feelings for the guitarist- and got shot down hard!_

 _Sixteen players are still in the game, but that number's going down! Who will be voted out next on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and I know I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Abigail and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 4_

* * *

"Haha!" Janson clapped his hands and pulled Madeline in for a hug. "We did it! We eliminated our first player!"

Madeline smiled. "Yeah, we did."

"And as a bonus," Janson grinned, "We still may obtain Michael on our side, because of the whole debacle that ensued!"

"Now hold on a second," Madeline frowned. "He just got his heart broken, and you're saying that's a good thing?"

Janson was about to say something, then stopped himself. "Of course not, gorgeous. I'm thinking with my head, and not my heart."

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"...And that's a good thing! Obviously, I want Michael on my side because Faith and Ruby are aligned, leaving him as the swing vote. The poor, pathetic nerd may not know it yet, but he's the most powerful player on the team."

* * *

"May I at least offer my condolences to him?" Janson asked Madeline.

Madeline smiled. "Of course. But no alliances."

"No alliances," Janson repeated.

He left the cave solemnly, walking with his head down.

As soon as he was out of earshot, he broke into a run.

"I'm finding an advantage," he breathed to a camera, searching in the brush. "If Michael goes the wrong way, I may need it."

He pushed away some errant leaves. There was nothing.

"Hello?" came a quavering voice from a ways away. Janson swore and dove into the bushes, trying to cover himself up with leaves.

"Janson?" Michael trudged over, his head down. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I, ah," Janson slowly got up. "You see, I-"

"Never mind," Michael sighed. "It was none of my business anyway. My opinion doesn't matter, so why even ask?"

He started to walk off.

"Wait!" Janson stood up. "I wanted to offer my apologies."

"Right," Michael spat. "It might have been my fault for getting my hopes up, but everyone here still voted for John except me. It doesn't take a genius to know who the next target is."

"You think we're voting for you?"

"I _know_ you're voting for me," Michael corrected. "The sooner I get off this cursed island, the better."

Janson smiled. "Well, unluckily for you, I need your cooperation before I can send you home."

Michael frowned. "What did you have in mind?"

Janson waved his hand. "Oh, not much. Just one vote, that's all. Then you may leave as soon as possible."

Michael hesitated. Then he glared at Janson. "Do you take me for an idiot?"

"I beg your pardon?" Janson was taken aback.

"Do you truly believe I'm unaware of the fact that you engineered John's elimination? And if you weren't, do you believe that I'd help you after you sent my… friend… home?" Michael struggled with the word 'friend'.

"So you won't vote with me," Janson concluded.

Michael shook his head. "I'll _never_ vote with you."

He turned and walked away, his shoulders shaking.

Janson grinned. "In that case," he murmured, "I'll be needing this."

He held up a Game Changer. "With this, I can deflect the Curse of K'wala to someone else. And I don't have to play it for myself…"

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

"Just because I'm a pathetic nerd doesn't mean I'm incapable of emotion. And right now, the only thought running through my head is revenge against Janson. It's petty, but right now, so am I."

* * *

Michael walked alone through the woods. "Ack. I really messed up."

"Yep," Ruby agreed, appearing beside him. "But hey, I'm in the same boat."

Michael eyed the normally shy girl. "What do you want?"

"Gee, thanks," Ruby rolled her eyes. "Why do you need to assume that I want something?"

"Everyone does," Michael looked at the ground.

"Well, I want to take a relaxing walk in the woods with my sad friend who just got his heart broken," Ruby decided.

"You said you messed up?" Michael asked as they walked side-by-side.

Ruby let out a long breath. "Yeah. I don't know. I think I made a mistake, voting for John. The more that I think of it, the more I realized how much Faith influenced my vote."

Michael shook his head. "Like I don't know what that's like- someone treating you like a meal ticket."

Ruby looked mildly offended. "She still treats me as a person, it's just… I don't want to play Faith's game. Sometimes what's in my interests and what's in her interests don't line up."

Michael nodded. "I get that, too. Like how my interests didn't line up with Janson's. Or Madeline's. Or Faith's. Or yours."

"I know, I know," Ruby grumbled. "If I could honestly go back, I'd vote out Madeline, and try to convince Faith to do the same."

"Fat lot of help that does me," Michael exhaled.

There was a moment's pause.

"I'm not cis either," Ruby suddenly blurted. "Sorry. I just thought you might like to know that you're not alone."

"I might not be unique," Michael looked at her. "But I'm always alone."

Ruby stopped walking as Michael moved on.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"Wow. Michael's really hurting, emotionally. I'm starting to think that the best thing to do right now would be to vote him off."

* * *

Ruby returned back to camp, where Faith was sitting on an air mattress.

"I caught a fish!" Faith cheered, proudly showing Ruby her largish fish.

"Nice!" Ruby sat down beside her. "I know it's late, but can we talk strategy?"

Faith set the fish down and adjusted her glasses. "I'm always open to strategy talk."

Ruby nodded. "I think we should convince Janson and Madeline to vote off Michael," she said in one breath.

When Faith looked at her funnily, she added, "He hates it here, now that John's gone."

"Wait…" Faith shook her head. It just makes no sense, strategically. If we take out Michael, we're back to a 2-2 split."

"But-"

"No, listen," Faith said. "They'll probably vote for you next since either of them is more likely to beat you in a mental tiebreaker."

"But-"

"So we'd have to vote for Madeline, and still, that's a 60-40 chance at best, so-"

"FAITH!" Ruby shouted, disbelief prominent in her voice. "Didn't you hear me? He wants out! He can't quit, so we _have_ to do this! Stop using your head for a second, and start playing with your heart!"

Faith recoiled. "Oh… You're right. I'm getting too into it. But… are we _sure_ this is what Michael wants?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes."

They shook hands. "Then that's what we're going to do."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"It took a good, stern talking-to to shake me out of my 24/7 strategy planning. This is a game of tough decisions, but winning one million dollars will be worth it."

* * *

Little did they know, someone had been watching them the whole time. When Faith and Ruby left, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Stepping to the light, Madeline was revealed. She was pale-faced.

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- Daring Dingos

"This is so much to take in! Michael wants to go home? Faith _agrees?_ But- but- I've got to tell Janson!" Madeline bursts out of the confessional.

* * *

"...and so they're coming to convince us that Michael should be voted out next." Madeline finished.

Janson stared at her for one second.

Another.

He burst out laughing.

"Bahahahaha!... Oh…" Janson wiped a tear from his eye. "This is too perfect."

"What's so funny?" Madeline asked curiously.

"Oh, gorgeous," Janson smiled. "You'll soon see."

When she left, he repeated it again.

"You'll soon see."

* * *

 _Day 5_

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Abigail, Arianna, Nikki, Drew, Kevin, Spencer**_

"A toast," Abigail said, lifting her po' boy high in the air. "To never losing!"

Her six teammates were sitting around the fire. Drew and Arianna were across from each other, still keeping up their masquerade.

"To never losing," everyone sighed wearily.

"Do I have to be here?" Kevin asked. "Nobody really wants me here."

"Yes, you have to be here," Abigail agreed. She looked around at her team. "Come on! Team bonding!"

"Um…" Nikki began.

"But," Kevin interrupted. "Don't we bond enough in challenges?"

"Like the one that we almost lost," Arianna looked at him flatly.

"Can it, Ari," Kevin muttered.

" _Um_ …" Nikki said, a little more forcefully.

"We are on the decline, after all." Arianna shrugged.

"So? If we do lose, we'll just vote you or your ex-boyfriend out!" Kevin's voice began to rise.

Arianna stiffened. "I'm not an idiot! I know you want me gone! But I'm better than you in challenges, and I'm not some Emo who expects everyone to vote him out!"

" _UM_!..." Nikki practically shouted.

" _WHAT!"_ Kevin and Arianna turned to her.

"I just… I just thought you… you might want-"

"Spit it out!" Arianna snarled.

Nikki was on the verge of tears. "Drew's having an allergy attack!"

Indeed, the normally composed conman was struggling to breathe and pointing at his throat.

"Medic!" Arianna called. "Quick!"

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Tepid Turtles

"We've had our ups and downs, but I'm not ready to play without Drew!"

* * *

Three red-shirted interns placed Drew on a stretcher and carried him away.

A fourth turned to Arianna. "We'll give you the details as soon as possible. I'd advise you to wait here."

Arianna nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. "Do you know what happened?"

The intern shrugged. "The only thing Drew listed as an allergy was peanuts. So unless-"

"Oh!" Nikki smacked her forehead. "Chris made me deep-fry the bread in peanut oil!"

"Okay," the intern said. "That helps. Thank you."

As soon as he left, Arianna stood. She slowly turned to Nikki.

"You," she snarled. Nikki looked around; there was no one to hide behind.

"I… I didn't…" Nikki paled.

Arianna threw her hands up. "You could have killed him! Why didn't you ask Chris! Why weren't you more careful! Why-"

"Stop."

Kevin stood protectively in front of Nikki.

"This is not her fault. If it's anyone's, it's Chris', for not checking for allergies beforehand," Kevin reasoned.

Arianna glared. "And of course, Nikki gets to hide behind someone else, and I look like the villain."

"But you _are_ the villain!" Kevin growled. "How can you not see that! You've done nothing but make us feel bad or try to damage relationships, and even now, when your boyfriend could be freaking _dying,_ you decide to take your anger out on Nikki instead of checking up on hm! Did you ever wonder why we want you gone? It's not because of us, or Chris, or Drew, no! It's because of _you!_ You're a terrible person!"

Arianna was silent.

She walked away.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," Kevin apologized to Nikki.

Nikki sighed. "We just can't figure it out, can we?"

Kevin stared at her for a second. "No, I guess we can't."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"This island, this game- it frays nerves and makes you want to snap. I let my emotions go, and I burned what little bridges I had. Still… that felt good."

* * *

Arianna silently walked through the forest. She was quiet.

"I'm sorry, okay?" She shouted to no one in particular. "What's going on? Who's punishing me?"

She heard a rustle and stepped back quickly.

It was only Spencer. He emerged from the forest, his hands in a surrender position.

"What," Arianna said, fighting to keep her voice level.

Spencer made a _D_ with his fingers, and then a thumbs-up.

"Oh… okay…" Arianna said weakly.

The propmaster pointed to himself, and then his ears, and then Arianna's mouth. He mimed shouting.

"You heard that?... I guess things got a little out of hand," Arianna sighed. "Am I really that bad of a person?"

Spencer nodded emphatically.

"Thanks," Arianna groaned.

Spencer held up his hand, as if to say, _but-_ he pulled out a wad of fake money from his satchel, and pretended he was receiving it.

"Yeah. The things we do for money, huh?" Arianna wondered aloud. "I- agh!"

She tripped over a small thing sticking out of the ground. Spencer immediately picked it up. It was a Game Changer.

"Oh!" Arianna dusted herself off.

Spencer looked at it, and then decided to hand it to Arianna.

"What?" the girl looked surprised. "But you found it!"

Spencer mimed tripping, and pointed to Arianna.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to say no…" Arianna shrugged, and read it aloud. " _Game Changer 2: Loser Two-ser. Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top eight, this advantage will force a double elimination, sending the two players with the most votes home."_

Spencer and Arianna shared a glance.

"Thank you," Arianna surprised the mime with a quick hug. "I don't know why you're doing this, but… thank you."

Spencer shrugged. He pointed to the advantage, and then to himself, and then made an X with his hands.

"Of course I won't," Arianna smiled. "Now, I guess I should check up on Drew."

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Tepid Turtles

Spencer gives the camera a thumbs up, and then a quick smirk.

* * *

Abigail was the only one left sitting around the fire. "So much for team spirit, I guess…"

"I know," Kevin approached her.

"How did it end up that the two most sane people here were Janson's crazy ex and the writer who hates half his team?" Abigail wondered, snickering.

Kevin chuckled. "I know. Actually, that ties in with what I came here for."

"Oh?" Abigail sat up, curious.

"I'm done trying to play all sides. So I'm making you an offer. You, me, and Nikki in the final three."

Abigail was shocked. "Really?"

Kevin shrugged. "After watching Drew collapse, I realized how unstable the game is. I need an alliance. And you two are my best bet. So?"

Abigail rubbed her temples. "Weren't you the guy who said, like, three days ago, that he didn't want to commit to anything because he was paranoid that we'd vote him out given the first opportunity?"

Kevin blushed. "It… rings a bell."

Abigail smirked. "I'll talk to Nikki. Then my people will contact your people."

"Sounds good," Kevin nodded. They shook hands.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Tepid Turtles

"I, frankly, didn't think Drew's collapse would have this domino effect."

* * *

Abigail stood up and spotted Nikki. "And there she is now."

The Hispanic strolled over to the shy girl, who was admiring a bug.

"Check this out…" Nikki murmured. Abigail looked at the insect, which was a deep cobalt and covered in tiny spines.

"Neat," Abigail said, watching the bug carefully.

"So," Abigail began. The girls hadn't noticed Spencer, who had approached from behind. "Kevin wanted a final three deal with us."

Spencer's eyes widened and he stopped walking, trying to stay as silent as possible.

"Kevin, really?" Nikki wondered aloud, her eyes still on the little insect. "Wasn't he paranoid-"

"Yep."

"Well," Nikki smiled. "I thought he'd have made a deal with Spencer since they were close."

Spencer subconsciously nodded his agreement behind them.

"But what do you think?" Abigail prompted. Spencer leaned in.

"I'd be fine with it," Nikki decided.

Spencer dove behind a bush just before Abigail stood up.

"Alright then. I'll tell him!" Abigail walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"This is so great! Now we have a solid three! I never thought in a million years that I'd be making these kinds of moves, but… Here I am!"

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Tepid Turtles

"..." Spencer clenches his fist.

* * *

"There you are," the red-shirted intern said as he spotted Arianna.

"How's Drew?" She asked.

The intern shrugged. "He'll recover, but we'll need to keep him indoors for the next day or two."

Arianna's eyes widened. "So you're saying…"

"He'll miss the next challenge, yeah."

She paled. "But- but- Drew's won the last two challenges for us! Like, almost single-handedly!"

"I don't know what to tell you. Hopefully, you have a good alliance then, heh heh!" The intern chortled.

Arianna glared at him.

"I'd best be going," the intern said, quickly walking away.

Arianna groaned. "Could things get any worse?"

And of course, that's one of the questions you should never ask- because they could.

* * *

 _Night 5_

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Connie, Ilyria, Renee, Addie, Luke**_

"Where's Addie?" Luke asked as he burst into the clearing, where Connie, Ilyria, and Renee were sitting.

"Sorry," Connie shrugged. "Haven't seen him."

"Nor have I," Renee agreed.

Ilyria shrugged her shoulders. "I believe," she said coldly, "That he ran off, mentioning a surprise."

Luke nodded. "Thank you muchly!"

He sprinted off. Ilyria and Renee rolled their eyes, while even Connie looked unamused.

"What's the beef with you two?" Connie asked.

Renee fumbled for her notepad. "Yes, tell us."

Ilyria nearly cracked a smile. "This has to be a secret, okay?"

The girls nodded.

"Luke tried to use me to get into an alliance with Addie."

"No!" Connie gasped.

Renee furiously scribble that down. "Anything you'd like to add?"

"How about this: I'm not going to pretend I wasn't almost convinced. We have to watch out- Luke can't be trusted."

"Absolutely," Renee agreed.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"Ha! I trust Ilyria about half as far as I can throw her, but as long as she believes we're bonding, and that I'll vote out Luke next, I may stay safe. However, that piece of information about Luke is also valuable, depending on the way I use it."

* * *

"So…A special surprise, huh?" Connie raised her eyebrows at Ilyria, referring to what she claimed Addie had said prior. "As in, a quite possibly _romantic_ surprise?"

Ilyria tried to keep a straight face, but that didn't stop red from creeping up her cheeks. "So?"

Connie laughed good-naturedly. "I hope it works out for you two."

Renee nodded her agreement. "It's dangerous to have a couple in this game, but still… I hope so too."

Ilyria actually did smile this time- before her features became like stone again. "Oh, yeah? How's your love life going, Connie?"

Connie looked nervous- a first for her. "Well, Spencer and I have spoken-"

"Wait," Renee interrupted. "He _talks_?"

"Of course he does," Connie looked surprised. "What, you thought he never took the tape off?"

"Yeah," Ilyria and Renee simultaneously said.

Connie was agast. " _Anyway,_ he's really caring, and, I mean, we only live one state away…"

The girls giggled.

* * *

Confessional: Connie- Wily Wombats

"Ya know, it feels good to have some girl time to separate myself from the game! It seems we're always talking strategy, so blowing some steam off is exactly what I need."

* * *

"My legs are cramping up," Connie said, standing up. "I think I'll go for a little midnight stroll."

"Sounds good," Renee put her pencil back behind her ear. Connie departed.

"So," Renee said to Ilyria, her voice turning sour.

"So," Ilyria stared right back at the journalist.

"We haven't exactly been on the best terms, have we?" Renee asked rhetorically. Ilyria nodded.

"I've thrown you under the bus, as I'm sure you have I," Ilyria shrugged. "When we're both on the bottom, what else can you do?"

"Which brings me to the point of this conversation," Renee stared into the distance. "Since Connor left, it's been a toss-up between you and me. What if we were to change that?"

"Are you proposing an alliance? Between us, the worst of enemies?"

Renee smirked. "Think about it. It would be the perfect cover. Not a single person would see it coming until we took him down."

"Him," Ilyria noted. "You're talking about Luke."

Renee almost lost her concentration. "Well, yes, but I mean if we-"

"I'm in."

Renee stared her down. "Wonderful." She stuck out her hand. "Allies?"

Ilyria prepared to shake her hand when a faint beeping noise could be heard.

"My watch," Ilyria began to walk away. "I have to… take my medication. We'll talk later."

"Okay," Renee could barely hide her disappointment. "Until then."

Ilyria left.

"This close!" Renee cursed angrily, as soon as she was out of earshot.

The scene changed.

Now, Luke was sprinting through the forest, calling, "Addie! ADDIE!" To no avail.

"Where is that guy?" he asked.

 _BUMP!_

"Waugh!" Connie and Luke both fell dramatically to the ground.

"Ack, sorry," Luke leaped up and helped the comedienne get back on her feet. "Hey, what's-"

The performers were back on the ground in a second, scrambling to grab a small Game Changer.

"I'll have it!" Connie tried grasping onto the trinket.

"Not if I can help it!" Luke replied.

"Roshambo?" Connie finally asked.

"Roshambo," Luke agreed.

"One, two, three, _shoot!_ "

"Paper beats rock," Connie smirked, snatching the advantage.

Luke frowned. "At least let me know what it is?"

Connie thought about it. "Yeah, that's fair."

She read. " _Congratulations! You have found the Mystery Mastery Game Changer, the most powerful advantage in the game. Playable at any Verloor Island Conclave before the top four, this advantage will nullify every vote cast against you and allow you to vote an additional two times."_

She looked up. "Holy guacamole."

"My sentiments exactly," Luke said. He put on a pouty face. "Best two out of three?"

Connie laughed and shook her head. "Not today, bub. So word on the street is you tried to ally with Ilyria?"

"Yeah," Luke scratched his neck. "I really just wanted to get in with Addie. This time, though, I'm cutting off the gift horse in the head."

"I'm pretty sure you're looking a snake in the mouth when you say that," Connie laughed. "But you're really legit about aligning with Addie?"

"Yep. Hey, how are you so calm about this all?"

"What do you mean," Connie asked quizzically.

"I mean, you're talking about me being in an alliance that could vote you out," Luke reasoned.

Connie chuckled. "Are you kidding me? I'm not here to win, or else I'd be going about this in a whole different way. If it's my time, it's my time, but until then, I'll play my best and leave an impact."

Luke was genuinely puzzled. "Sure. Well, I'm off to find Addie, then."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"Why are you even _here_ if you don't want to win? And why did you take that advantage?"

* * *

"Addie? Addie!" Luke shouted. "...Bah, I give up. I'll talk to him after the challenge."

He sighed and trudged away.

On the opposite side of the tree line, Addie exhaled and walked back into view. "That was close," he murmured.

He surveyed his work. "Hey, I did pretty good! I think I'll go find her."

The kleptomaniac strolled through the forest.

 _FOOSH!_

Ilyria stumbled into view, with no signs of what had made that noise. Her hair was uncharacteristically messy, and she had a scratch on her cheek.

"Oh my! What happened?" Addie wondered, rushing up to her. "...Oh. Secret flying stuff. Want me to check out your scrape here?"

Ilyria slapped his hand away. "I'm fine."

"Well, you're about to get better," Addie suddenly smiled. "Close your eyes."

"Okay…" Ilyria said warily. Addie took her hand and led her back to the clearing.

"Open in one… two… now!"

Ilyria opened her eyes. "A picnic?"

There was a red-and-white cloth set up, upon it testing coconuts, fish, and po' boys.

"Wow," Ilyria smiled. "This is really something."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"She likes it! _She likes it!_ Yeah!"

* * *

"Well?" Addie showed the Brit her place, a stack of fronds.

Ilyria sat, as did Addie. "Let's eat!"

They both reached for the same po' boy, and ended up with Addie's hand on top of Ilyria's. They blushed stereotypically.

"We got airmail saying that Drew was gone for the next challenge," Ilyria mentioned, wiping her mouth.

"Yeah? Maybe they'll finally lose one," Addie smirked. "It'd be high time."

"Yep," Ilyria agreed.

"Water?" Addie pulled out two _bottles_ of water.

Ilyria gratefully reached for one- then stopped. " _Bottled_ water? Aren't those Renee's?"

Addie slipped up. "Well, yeah, but-"

"And now that I think of it, are those fish from Luke's supply?" Ilyria asked, annoyance beginning to turn to anger. She gasped. "And this is Connie's backup blanket!"

"I-"

"Did you steal this all?"

"Yes, but-"

Ilyria glared at him. "I knew it! You're nothing more than a thief!"

"But," Addie stood up and took a step back, "I did it for you! So that you-"

"So that I would _love_ you?" Ilyria finished quietly. "Addie. You're a thief. _I would never love you._ "

Addie sat down again, clutching his head and breathing heavily. He looked up. "Very well."

Ilyria blinked. "That's all?"

Addie shrugged. "That's all."

He turned and walked away, a single tear rolling down his face.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"I don't take kindly to rule-breakers. I did what I had to do, and it was the right thing, right?"

* * *

Ilyria trudged back to her team's camp, where Renee sat by the fire.

"I'll do it."

"What?" Renee looked up, startled by her present.

"Your alliance. I'll do it."

"Great," Renee stood, and the two shook hands.

* * *

 _Day 6_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: K'wala Island Arena**_

"Welcome to the arena!" Chris proclaimed as the team's approached him. The 'arena' was little more than a rectangular clearing where all of the trees had been cut down, but the contestants marveled nonetheless.

Then they say what was in the middle and all of the players' faces fell.

Almost all of them, that is.

"YES!" Ruby cried, and then shrunk away under many a glare. "...I mean, if this is what I think it is...:"

"Now I'm excited!" Faith smiled.

"First of all," Chris said, "Take a look at the new Daring Dingos. John was voted out at the last Verloor Island Conclave."

Most of the players were surprised. Abigail was annoyed, presumably because Janson was still present.

"Second of all, as you may know from the airmail we sent you yesterday, Drew had an allergic reaction and will not be participating in this challenge, but he will go to his team's Conclave should they lose."

The Wombats and Dingos were excited. The Turtles were reasonably put off.

"Thirdly," Chris continued, counting on his fingers, "Remember how I had to hire some interns? Turtles, you've met some already, but here they are!"

Six interns- four wearing red and two wearing blue- emerged.

"Hey," the blue-shirted boy said. "I'm Beck, and I'm one of the team leaders."

"And I'm Kayla!" the blue-shirted girl said enthusiastically. "I'm the other leader!"

"That one isn't bad, huh?" Abigail nudged Nikki. Nikki said nothing. "Hey?"

Nikki sighed. "I think I'm in love," she said dreamily, staring at Beck.

"Oh, boy," Abigail rolled her eyes as the interns departed.

"I think that's all I had to say- oh!" Chris smacked his forehead. "The challenge!"

The contestants' eyes were drawn to the structure before them.

"That's right!" Chris exclaimed. "We're… Tropical Curling!"

"Yes!" Ruby repeated, albeit much quieter this time. She stared at the three-pronged metal ring, with a target painted in the center.

"For this challenge, each team will select a skip to slide the rocks down the metal, one by one. Whichever team's rock is closest to the middle wins, and the second closest places second. I'll see the other team at the Conclave tonight," Chris grinned his signature grin. "Oh, and one more thing…"

He cleared his throat. "This wouldn't be Total Drama without a twist. So, the twelve contestants who aren't throwing the rocks… Will _be_ the rocks."

Silence.

"...Cool!" Luke broke the spell. He jutted his chin at the pile of clothes beside Chris. "Straitjackets?"

"That was my idea," Chris smirked evilly. "The producers thought it would be too dangerous. Anyway, players _must_ remain standing on their sliding platform. If you fall, you will be removed from play."

Chris gestured to the blankets beside him. "This is a winner-take-all challenge- the first place team will receive…"

He didn't pull off the blankets. "A mystery reward! Pick a skip, and we'll get started."

The choice at the Dingos' team was easy.

"I played in a tournament in Europe," Ruby explained proudly as Faith, Janson, Madeline and Michael donned straitjackets. "We placed fifth out of twenty-four countries."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"We would have scored higher if the Czech Republic wasn't cheating! Yeah, I remember! Ya hear me? _Ya hear me?!_ "

Ruby realizes her outburst and goes beet red. "I mean, what I'm trying to say is-"

* * *

"Well, I for one, am satisfied," Janson tried to gesture with his arms, before remembering he couldn't.

"Good enough for me," Michael sighed and looked down. While he did this, everyone had a quick but silent mental conference, looking at him and nodding.

Things were not so simple at the Tepid Turtles' station.

"I'll do it," Abigail said as Spencer raised his hand.

"Abigail's the strongest," Kevin shrugged.

I say we pick her.

Spencer shook his head.

"Hey," Arianna said quietly. "If Spencer says he can do it, he can."

She reached down to grab a straitjacket. Kevin shot Abigail a quizzical look, like: _Since when is she defending him?_

Abigail shrugged. "Go ahead, Spencer."

She donned a jacket, as did Arianna, Kevin, and Nikki, as Spencer Prepared himself for throwing rocks.

The opposite problem was happening at the Wombat station.

"I don't want it," Luke muttered.

"Well, I don't want it," Connie agreed.

"Nor I," Renee shook her head.

"No, thanks," Addie said.

"Ilyria?" Connie asked.

Ilyria was furiously tapping her watch. She looked up. "What? Oh, yeah, I'll do it."

Her eyes widened. "Wait! I-"

"We have a volunteer!" Luke clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry! You'll be fine."

He smiled as he, Addie, Connie, and Renee grabbed straitjackets, while Ilyria tapped her watch twice more, before walking to her position.

"Well, well, well!" Chris said, once everyone was in their places. "Ruby, Spencer, and Ilyria have been chosen! As the loser of the last challenge, we're going to give the Dingos the best opportunity to win by letting them go last. Wombats, by the same token, you're going first, so Ilyria, you're up."

Ilyria breathed. She grabbed the platform on which Addie was positioned.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"I'm a little stressed, what with the whole Addie thing, and the alliance I made with Renee was probably not in my best interests. Not to mention, I got a lead in my investigation. Hopefully, my stress doesn't come out through the challenge."

* * *

She hesitated, stretched, slid back, and…

...hurled Addie's platform so hard that the poor boy fell off the back.

* * *

Resume Confessional

"...Never mind."

* * *

"Ow!" Addie had to wait for Kayla, the intern, to drag him off and place him on the bench.

"Can't you at least undo the jacket?" Addie complained.

"Nope!" Kayla said sweetly.

"Great."

"Next up," Chris said, "Is Spencer! And it looks like he's throwing Nikki!"

Nikki looked absurd since her straitjacket was giant on her. With no shortage of giggles from the others, she stepped onto her platform.

Spencer took the platform, slid back, and pushed forward.

The platform slid slowly, straight down the metal, but came to a complete stop before the rings.

"Nice try!" Arianna called, to her team's surprise.

Beck scooped up Nikki, who looked dreamily at him. She sighed contentedly, and Beck smirked.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"He's so _perfect_ …"

* * *

"Hey, Nikki," Addie tried to wave, but his arms were restrained. "We haven't talked much since day one. How's it going?"

They eagerly conversed as Ruby inspected the metal, feeling it to determine how she would throw. Satisfied, she went to her position.

"Our last thrower of round one is Ruby, throwing Faith!" Chris announced.

"You've got this in the bag," Faith whispered. Ruby just nodded.

The girl slid back, exhaled, and pushed off the wall with her foot, releasing the rock…

...which came to a stop in the ring second from the center!

"Ha!" Ruby clapped her hands excitedly. "Still got it!"

"And that's our first one on the board!" Chris said. "Will Ilyria match it? Let's find out."

Ilyria grabbed Renee's platform. The journalist looked indignant, spouting profanity from under her breath.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Wily Wombats

"This is humiliating! One million dollars cannot be worth all this."

* * *

Ilyria threw the rock. It passed right by Faith and although it was slower than her first failed attempt, the rock slammed against the boards on the opposite side, sending Renee toppling to the sand.

"MMMmmm!" Renee complained, her face in the beach.

Chris was struggling to contain himself. "After a- _mph!-_ terrible fall by Renee, Spencer is up again!"

As Spencer prepared, Renee was placed on the bench. Her normally tidy hair was completely frazzled, and her face was covered with so much sand she looked like a ghost.

Renee groaned. "Go ahead, laugh."

They did. Heavily.

"Okay, okay," Chris said, "Spencer's ready, and he's throwing Kevin. Remember, only Faith is in the rings right now."

Kevin looked unfazed as Spencer slid back, paused, and pushed the platform forward, slightly harder than the last time.

Kevin slid forward, curved to the right, and ran into Faith, who was knocked out of play. The recoil from the shot, however, sent Kevin to the left, and he barely stayed in the outermost ring.

"It's a takeout!" Chris exclaimed as Beck lifted Faith off of the sand and onto the bench. "And Spencer's Turtles are on the board!"

Faith surveyed her bench-mates. She turned to Nikki. "Hello, there."

Nikki shied away, but soon started talking.

"Next is Ruby and Janson!"

Ruby slid back and released the schemer's platform. It came to a stop beside Kevin, but notably closer to the center.

"And now, it's Ilyria and Connie!"

Ilyria threw even softer than last time, but still harder than she needed to. Against all predictable odds, Connie went right between Kevin and Janson, before sailing out of play.

"Next, it's Spencer throwing Abigail!"

Abigail grinned mischievously. Janson gulped. Spencer, understanding, threw with unparalleled speed, even by Ilyria's standards, and a maniacal Abigail sent Janson into the nearest tree. Unfortunately, the recoil meant that Abigail also bumped into Kevin, who was sent out of play. Kevin blushed as he was seated beside Faith.

"...And Ruby and Madeline!"

Ruby was outright smiling at this point. Instead of trying to take Abigail's rock out, she sent Madeline's platform right in front of her.

"If she gets hit," Michael realized, "Nearly all of the her kinetic energy will be transferred to Abigail, rendering Madeline immobile while Abigail is eliminated. And yet, Madeline is closer to the center than Abigail, so if they don't get hit, we win regardless. Great shot."

Ruby flushed. "Yeah… That's what I meant to do. All that."

Chris looked amused. "And with that, we're down to our final three players! This could be the most important shot of the game."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Wily Wombats

"...And, of course, we have Trigger Happy McStrongshot up to the plate." He sighs dramatically. "Stay tuned, folks."

* * *

"Well, with both Madeline and Abigail on the board, we have Ilyria ready to curl with Luke," Chris announced. "If she misses, it's all over."

"But no pressure!" Connie called.

Ilyria shook her head, and slid back, with Luke's platform in hand. She pushed forward and released the rock…

...which, by some miracle, rammed hard into Madeline, who rammed hard into Abigail, who was sent flying into a tree.

"Yes! That is what it feels like!" Janson called. Then he coughed and reddened. "Heh."

"Wow!" Chris spluttered. "Ilyria saves her team from her… her…"

"Previous inadequacy?" Kevin suggested.

"That works," he amended. "And now the pressure is on Spencer! If _he_ misses, his team goes straight to elimination-ville!"

"Go," Arianna said, almost silently, as Spencer gripped her platform.

Spencer nodded, and quickly released the platform.

It sailed straight towards its target, Luke, who sailed towards Madeline, who sailed straight out of play, much to Ruby's chagrin.

"It's a perfect shot!" Chris shouted, barely heard over the Turtles' cheers. "And now… It's Ruby's turn."

Over on the bench, Renee nudged Addie with her shoulder. "We're going to lose if we don't do something."

Addie looked wary. "Distraction?"

Renee nodded.

The kleptomaniac bit his lip. "I think I know what to do."

He whispered something in Renee's ear, and she passed the message on to Connie, Nikki, Kevin, and Abigail.

Meanwhile, Ruby was stone-faced. She grabbed Michael's rock confidently.

The girl slid back, pushed forward, and-

"BIRDS!" shouted half the bench. Ruby flinched so violently that her rock slid forward at a much faster pace.

"It's going to be a takeout!" Chris called.

 _BOK!_

…

…

…

…

...Ruby groaned with disappointment as Michael flew an inch past the other two.

"Due to a cheap trick, the Daring Dingos lose! But, more importantly, our winning team… The Wily Wombats!" Chris announced.

The Wombats cheered and went to the reward. Luke pulled off the blanket.

"Congratulations," he read. "If you are reading this aloud, you and the person to your left have just received an extra vote that can be used at any elimination ceremony."

He looked to his left. Renee was there, barely containing her excitement.

"That's right! One extra vote apiece for both Luke and Renee, and some cold lemonade for the rest of the group," Chris said.

"Sweet," Addie grabbed the pitcher and poured himself a glass. Then he noticed Ilyria glaring at him. "What?"

"You cheater," she spat angrily.

"I didn't cheat! I just… sabotaged…" Addie struggled.

"Whatever," Ilyria flipped her ponytail behind her and walked off.

"Dingos… I'll see you at the Conclave tonight," Chris said to a saddened team.

Everyone departed.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"In retrospect… I goofed. And now, with Luke and Renee having those advantages… Did I even win today?"

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Arianna and Spencer seem to be forming a friendship. I don't know why, but that could be bad, strategically. We'll see."

* * *

Confessional: Janson- Daring Dingos

"Bwahahahahaha!... Oh… This elimination ceremony is going to be perfect. I cannot wait."

* * *

 _Night 6_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Daring Dingos**_

The five Dingos walked into the large, squarish hut and sat down on their teams' bench.

Janson nudged Ruby and Faith, jutting his chin at Michael. They nodded silently.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"Tonight, the vote seems incredibly simple…" She pauses. "...and that's why I'm so worried."

* * *

"Are we sending me home tonight?" Michael asked, loud enough to be heard by everyone.

They exchanged glances, worried about what to do.

"Yes," Janson finally said firmly.

"I appreciate your honesty," Michael shrugged. He pulled open his book and began to read.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

Before saying anything, he sighs. "I wish it wasn't me, but what can I do against four votes?"

* * *

"Dingos," Logan said, approaching. This time, he was accompanied by both Chris, Beck, and Kayla.

"Why the flock?" Michael asked, keeping his eyes on the book.

Chris shrugged. I just wanted to show them the ropes, in case they have to take over one time."

"Well," Logan clapped his hands. "Let's begin."

"So, Madeline, what was the team dynamic like after John went home?"

Madeline sighed. "It was about the same. Everyone had a clear target in mind if we lost again."

"And you did," Logan said, spread in his arms. "You're here! So who's that target?"

"Me," Michael replied flatly.

"Okay. Let me recall, though- wasn't there a 2-2-2 split last time? Now it's two groups of two and Michael in the middle. If you eliminate him, where does that leave you?"

Janson answered the question. "Well, then maybe this vote won't be as black-and-white as it seems."

When he said this, Faith frowned. Then she scowled. Then she brightened, and furiously whispered something in Ruby's ear.

Logan pointed to them. "That's not going unnoticed, you know."

Faith see-sawed her hand. "It couldn't wait."

There was a deafening silence.

"Ooh! Can I say it!" Kayla shouted.

"Sure, babe," Logan said, smiling.

" _Babe_?" Chris spluttered. " _She_ is your-"

"Dingos," Kayla said calmly. "It's time to vote. We'll go in alphabetical order. I haven't learned your names, though, so sort that out for yourselves."

Faith stood up and went to vote.

"I have a plan, I have a plan, I have a plan…" She repeated, writing down a name.

Janson was next. "I don't think you'll be surprised to learn that I'm keeping my vote a secret for now.

Madeline went after him. "This is my chance to make a big move. I won't mess up."

Michael went after her. "So I'm voting Janson. I figure if he was the first to admit I was going home, he deserves at least my vote."

Ruby went last. "Faith had a good idea, but… How do I win if I don't play my own game? I don't know…"

She finally wrote a name down and departed.

"I'll go tally the votes," Logan said, walking off.

As he did so, the players and the interns stared at each other awkwardly.

"Has anyone seen the new-" Kayla perked up, but deflated. "Oh yeah, you're on an island…"

Logan returned. "If anyone has a Game Changer and would like to play it, now would be the time."

Michael kept reading his book, uninterested.

Madeline bit her lower lip, but did not move.

"Well then, I'll now read the votes."

Logan took the first piece of paper out and read the name. "Faith."

Faith nodded solemnly as Janson tried to contain his laughter.

"The second vote goes to… Faith. If any other vote is against you, you must leave immediately."

Faith didn't react.

"The third vote…

…

...Janson."

"As expected," Janson shrugged.

Meanwhile, Michael put his book away, his eyes widening as he did some math in his head.

"The fourth vote…

…

…

…

… also goes to Janson. Michael, Madeline, and Ruby are officially safe.

"What the…" Michael looked at all of his competitors.

Logan unfolded the last slip of paper. "This is the last vote, and it goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...Janson." Logan finished. "You are the third person eliminated from-"

"No!" Janson stood up. "I call a fix! There must be a mistake!"

"Are you suggesting I did my job poorly?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

Janson sighed. "I'm sorry."

He kissed Madeline on the cheek. "I wish we could have gone further, but the team had other plans. Give them hell for me."

Madeline nodded, tears filling her eyes.

Janson went one way, while his team went the other.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"I'm glad Ruby listened to me, or else I wouldn't be here. But Janson's farewell to Madeline disturbed me- how will we ever convince her of his villainy now?"

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- Daring Dingos

"As far as I'm concerned, I have no allies, and no friends. I hate this game."

* * *

"With an unexpected adieu from one of the top dogs, what chaos will occur on the Daring Dingos side?" Logan asked.

"Will Addie and Ilyria reconcile?" Chris wondered.

"And who the heck is Drew?" Kayla scratched her head. "Oh wait, I'm not in this sequence. Never mind!"

"Find out the answers to the first two questions on…" Chris started.

"Total!" Logan said.

"Drama!" Chris added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" Logan shouted, but Chris stopped. "What?"

Chris smacked his forehead. "We forgot to curse Nikki! And now it's too late."

Logan shrugged. "We'll call it a freebie."

* * *

Final Confessional: Janson- 16th Place

"Of course I'm angry! In fact, it took all of my acting to portray that facade, but-" his eyes twinkle. "For the calamity that ensues, it will be worth it. You haven't seen the last of me!"

* * *

 _Janson has decided to pass on his Game Changer to… Drew_

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Faith voted for… Janson_

 _Janson voted for… Faith_

 _Madeline voted for… Faith_

 _Michael voted for… Janson_

 _Ruby voted for… Janson_

 **There you have it- The first of many villain defeats this season! Would you like to know how close I was to eliminating Ruby in Janson's place? Well, I ha already written her synopsis before I changed my mind. I knew Faith was smarter than that.**

 **Speaking of Synopsises… (Synopses? Synops? Synopsi?)**

 **Synopsis on Janson**

 **Hero, Villain, or Neutral: Villain**

 **Why: I don't think there's any doubt here. He organized John's elimination, and almost Faith's, too, all without his true intentions being discovered until his final elimination ceremony.**

 **Best Moment: John's elimination. He discovered a secret alliance before destroying it, with dastardly effects.**

 **Worst Moment: His ego, which led him to believe that he was safe and his master plan would succeed, when it clearly did not. Without his big head in the way, he might have gone the extra mile to secure votes or take defensive maneuvers.**

 **Question Time!**

 **1: Addie and Ilyria- any thoughts?**

 **2: How will Madeline cope with the betrayal of her entire team? (Michael went through the same thing, but Madeline's more impressionable.)**

 **3: How will the dynamic change on the Turtles' side, what with Spencer's three friends forming an alliance without him, but finding a new friend in Arianna? Remember- Drew hates Spencer!**

 **18th: Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **17th: John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **16th: Janson- The Flirtatious Deceiver**

 **Thanks! Enjoy yourself!**


	7. Ep6: I Know Why The Caged Nerd Sings

**Long one today. Please excuse any spelling mistakes, since I'm writing from my dinosaur phone.**

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _There was a scary moment when Drew's peanut allergy acted up. This had some crazy effects on the team- especially when Arianna found a new friend in Spencer! Addie and Ilyria almost got together, before Ilyria dumping him because of Addie's thieving habits. After a controversial win in which Renee and Luke both won extra advantages, Ilyria confronted him even further, pretty much destroying any hope of them getting together. When the Dingos lost, Janson created a perfect plan to split the vote between Michael and Faith, but when Faith caught wind of it, the flirt was sent home himself. Also, Logan's dating Kayla? What?!_

 _Fifteen are still in the game- but that number's going down! Who? Find out now on..._

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and I know I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Abigail and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 6_

* * *

"You may as well stay here," Logan called over to the Dingos, who were beginning to get up. "We're calling the other teams over to meet here."

"I wonder why?" Michael mused. "Oh, and thanks for not sending me home."

"We were going to," Faith admitted, "But if we had voted for you, Janson and… Madeline…"

She faltered and turned to the gymnast, who was sitting on the opposite side of the bench, her head buried in her hands.

"What is this, the broken hearts club?" Ruby murmured. "I'll talk to her."

Ruby approached Madeline.

"Go away," Madeline spat, between sobs.

Ruby sighed. "You know we did what we had to do."

Madeline looked up dryly. "And that was to send by best friend home?"

"As opposed to mine?"

This made Madeline stop glaring at her.

Ruby sat down beside her. "You're not so innocent yourself. If we hadn't voted for Janson, Faith would be gone. We only targeted him because he targeted us."

"Think of it this way," Michael reasoned, "We're all different groups trying to reach the same goal. We stand in each others' ways, and only one group can succeed."

"Besides," Faith joined in. "Who have you even spoken to regularly, aside from Janson? I think branching out might be good for you."

"You just voted out my one friend," Madeline stood up and walked away. "Don't tell me what's good for me."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"As I feared, Madeline is taking things too personally. It's just a boy, honey. At the same time, though, she has a point. By eliminating Janson, we pretty much shattered any sense of security the poor girl had." Faith rubs her temples. "Why is this game so hard?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Wily Wombats were walking to the Conclave.

"I wonder why we've been summoned," Luke mused, swigging the lemonade he and his team won in the previous challenge.

"You don't suppose it's a triple elimination?" Renee wondered aloud. "Maybe I should have brought my extra vote along."

She chuckled at this, but Connie, Addie and Ilyria exchanged wary glances behind her back.

Finally, Addie said the obvious. "Maybe you shouldn't flaunt your vote around."

Renee shrugged. "Why not? I know who I'm aligned with- Ilyria."

Everyone stopped walking as Ilyria smacked her forehead. "Why would you reveal something like that?"

"So it's true?" Connie asked.

Ilyria sighed. "Yes. Now I restate my question."

Renee wheeled around. "Well, I have an extra vote, and obviously you have a secret advantage at this point, from all of your searching, and-"

"Hold on! Are you still stuck on that whole 'Ilyria has an advantage' thing?" Ilyria scoffed. "I don't have one!"

"Sure you don't," Renee winked. "There's no need to keep up the facade at this point. We're in the majority here."

"Ooh!" Luke stuck up his hand. "What if I aligned with you two? Then we'd have, like five votes!"

"Not a chance," Ilyria replied.

"Brilliant idea!" Renee said at the same time.

"Yes?" Luke queried.

"No!" Ilyria protested.

"Yes!" Renee overruled.

"Yes!" Luke cheered.

"No…" Ilyria groaned.

The three walked off, leaving Addie and Connie behind.

"...What the hell just happened?" Addie looked at Connie, who shrugged.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Wily Wombats

"I am in an alliance with the two most moronic people to play this game."

* * *

The Tepid Turtles were coming into the Conclave from the opposite side.

"So, this is happening," Abigail said flatly. "Why?"

Kevin adjusted his glasses. "If I had to guess, I'd say we're switching teams, now that there's fifteen of us. Speaking of which, who do you think went home?"

"Ruby," Arianna guessed. "She lost the challenge."

"The depressed kid with the glasses," Abigail mused. "Mickey or something."

"My guess is Janson," Kevin shrugged. "He seems to blustery to not be noticed."

"Doesn't he have that girlfriend who does whatever he says?" Nikki asked. "That's an extra vote…"

"Still only two votes, though," Kevin countered. "What's your take, Spencer?"

Spencer tried to mime something that couldn't be seen in the dark. Eventually he just shot a resigned glare at Kevin.

"Gee, what's with you being so cold all of a sudden?" Kevin asked.

Spencer said nothing but continued to stare.

"Weirdo," Kevin said under his breath, so no one would hear. "So Nikki, I bet you're excited."

"Me?" Nikki repeated. "...Why?"

"That's right!" Abigail remembered. "You're curse free, girl."

Nikki almost smiled. "I guess I forgot! That is good news!"

"Maybe that's why they called us here," Kevin said. "Eh, we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"I can't believe I beat the curse! I thought I'd be home by now… or wherever eliminated players go… but this is great!"

* * *

"And here they come," Michael murmured as the Turtles entered from the south, and the Wombats from the east.

"I was right," Kevin nudged Abigail, noting Janson's absence.

Abigail stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at the Dingos. Double checked.

"YES! YES! WOO!" Abigail did a fist pump, and then gave the other Dingos high fives. "I wasn't even involved!"

"What's she so excited about?" Addie asked Connie as they sat down together.

"Jan-something's eliminated," Connie replied. "I think Abigail might have wanted him gone a little."

"You don't say?" Addie watched as Abigail did a celebratory backflip off the bench. "I couldn't tell."

"Campers!" Chris interrupted, arriving. "Congratulations on making the final fifteen!"

Silence.

"Is that even an achievement?" Kevin asked. "83 percent of us were bound to make it, you know."

Chris groaned. "Do I look like I care?"

"No," Kevin admitted.

"Then let me continue!" Chris snapped. Kevin held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Thank you. We have several orders of business to get to tonight. First, Tepid Turtles, I believe this belongs to you?"

Drew strolled out from behind the host. "Yo."

Upon seeing Arianna, rhe rushed forward and gave her a kiss, with several 'Aww's' interspersed throughout the group.

"How are you feeling?" Arianna asked.

"Fine, fine," Drew waved away her concerns. "Full recovery, pendin' lawsuit, rest and recovery, all that jazz."

" _Ahem_!" Chris called. "Let's keep things- _did you say pendin' lawsuit?_ "

Drew shrugged. "Joke. Kind of."

Chris was still wary. "Okay… Next, up…"

"...Drop those bandanas; we're switching teams!" Logan walked in, unannounced, holding a platter, on which sat fifteen lumps. Six were red, while the rest were orange.

"That's right," Chris smirked. "We didn't want you to get too comfy with your old groups. Here's how this will work- Logan here will go to each old team, where you'll pick one of these lumps, containing the bandana corresponding to the new team- tan for Dingos, green for Turtles, and brown for Wombats. Boys get red, girls get orange."

Logan went around with the platter.

* * *

Confessional: Madeline

"I'm happy as I could be, considering the circumstances- at least I won't have to deal with my old team anymore. A fresh start!"

* * *

Confessional: Drew

" _Finally,_ I can get away from Spencer. I'm not a math nerd like Kevin, but there's only, like, a one-in-five chance of us staying together? Sounds right."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Drats! Just as Renee and Ilyria and I made a solid alliance, we're separated again! I repeat: Drats!"

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Ack. For all of its faults, I've come to enjoy my team. As you might have noticed, I'm not exactly the most social person, and if Faith and I don't stick together, well…"

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"People. Oh, joy and happiness."

* * *

"On my word, open your parcels," Chris said.

He paused.

"Well?" Arianna snapped.

"Uggghhh," Chris groaned. "I was savoring the moment! Fine, go ahead."

The packages were opened, with some shock and joy intermingled.

Drew looked at his sandy bandana, and then at Arianna's, which bore the same colours. "Yeah!"

Then a frowning Spencer tapped him on the shoulder, only to reveal _his_ identical bandana. Drew swore under his breath.

Faith looked at her team, all of whom had different bandanas than she did. "Well, this sucks."

Ruby gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you at the merge," she whispered, before walking alongside Michael to their new team.

Addie and Ilyria's bandanas were separate.

"Well," Addie stuck out his hand for a shake. Ilyria simply turned around and stomped off. The kleptomaniac sighed.

Luke unraveled his bandana, as did Abigail a few feet away. Almost simultaneously, papers fell out of their headwear. Luke grinned as he stuffed it down his pants, while a nervous Abigail quickly read it over and threw it in her pocket. They made brief eye contact.

" _You too?_ " Luke mouthed. She nodded.

"Are we settled?" Logan asked. "Then let's look at our teams!

"For the new Daring Dingos, we have **Arianna, Faith, Ilyria, Drew, and Spencer!**

"For the new Tepid Turtles, we have **Connie, Nikki, Renee, Kevin, and Luke!**

"And for the new Wily Wombats, we have **Abigail, Madeline, Ruby, Addie, and Michael!"**

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"I lucked out! I have two-thirds of my original alliance, and _another_ extra vote!"

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"Looks like I got an extra vote, huh? Nice. I'll need it, since I'm already in the minority on this team. Might be worth seeking Addie out in an alliance."

* * *

"Um… Logan?" Madeline timidly put up her hand. "Something here might be wrong. There are three old Dingos out of four on this team."

"And none over here!" Renee added, simultaneously scribbling down the new teams. "Was this a fix? Do you believe these teams will help or hinder us? And-"

"To address your concern," Logan cut Renee off, "No, the selection was completely random. Heck, I'd have been surprised if the numbers were normal."

"Why didn't you just move an old Turtle to the old Dingos?" Renee inquired. "It would keep the three-girl, two-boy arrangement while still adhering to the original teams."

Logan's eye twitched. "Because… I didn't want to do it that way."

"Hey, Nikki!" Chris bailed him out loudly. "Your curse time is up!"

Nikki was baffled. "Really?"

"Yep," Chris nodded. "You've lasted three elimination ceremonies with it, and as a result get to choose who the curse is passed on to next."

"...Oh…" Nikki realized.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Truth be told, I forgot about that rule…"

* * *

"Well…" Nikki looked around.

Her eyes locked on someone.

"I choose Ari-"

She never even finished the sentence before Drew was standing beside Chris, flourishing a small necklace. "Actually, no. This is an advantage, correct?"

Chris read it over. "Yes…"

"And whoever this is played for gets to choose who the curse goes to next?"

Chris nodded. "Yep."

Drew spun around. "And Arianna, since I'm playing it for you, do you mind if I may choose the recipient?"

Arianna shrugged. "As long as it's not on our team. Also, when did-"

"Irrelevant right now," Drew smiled. "In that case, I'd like to give the Curse of K'wala to Connie."

"Connie?" Connie repeated, shocked. "Why me?"

Drew leered at her. "Because, well, frankly, I hate you."

Connie raised an eyebrow. "At least you sugar coated it. You know, if I survive three rounds, we'll be seeing this curse coming right back."

Drew waved his hand. "And what are the chances of that happening?"

Connie addressed her team. "Can you guys avoid voting me out for three ceremonies to see this waz-bag get cursed?"

Kevin smiled. "For Drew? Done deal."

Nikki agreed. "Sure."

Luke and Renee took sidelong glances at Drew. "Yep."

Drew's confident smile melted.

"Well, Drewy," Connie condescended, "That's that."

* * *

Confessional: Connie- Tepid Turtles

"Drew's pretty dumb, huh? Sure he got his licks in, but… well, I think we know who's getting this sucker next."

* * *

Chris laughed. "You just got burned hard! I'm loving the tension! But we do have a challenge to get to."

"What?" Kevin protested. "We had a challenge, like, six hours ago!"

Ignoring him, the host forged on. "For this challenge, your new teams will work together to create a musical act. There must be at least one vocalist, one musician, and one special effects person, although these three can overlap. The first act will perform two hours after sunrise, which is, ah… seven-ish hours from now. Oh, and everyone must participate."

Logan looked at a clipboard. "Your act will be judged, out of ten for each category, on vocals, music, and special effects. The highest-scoring and second-highest team will win immunity, while the lowest-scoring team will see its members back here, where one of you will be the next person voted out. Questions? Drew?"

"What are there in terms of instruments and special effects?" Drew asked.

Logan looked at his clipboard. "One piano, one violin, one cello, and two big drums. As for effects, you'll have to make them yourself. Renee?"

"Who are the judges?"

"Secret," Logan and Chris said instantly. "Kevin?"

Kevin cleared his throat. "What happens if two teams tie for the highest or lowest score?"

"If two teams are tied for the highest, nothing happens. If two teams are tied for the lowest, they'll go into a tiebreaker," Chris stated. "Anyone else? No? Good."

"Get talking, because your challenge starts…"

…

…

…

"Now!"

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"Another challenge where I can only participate by standing in the background and not messing up."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"I have to use any time I have to form a new alliance. I feel like I can get Ilyria on my side, but beyond that… well, maybe Spencer?"

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

Ruby yawns. "Another challenge? I haven't slept in forever…" She pauses mid-sentence, only to doze off.

She snaps back. "What? I'm awake! I'm awake!"

* * *

The teams quickly converged.

"I'll be singing," Drew and Ilyria said at the same time. They looked at each other and glared.

"A duet!" Faith broke in. "Drew can do the piano as well."

They looked at Faith.

"I'm not goin' to back down," Drew admitted.

"Nor I," Ilyria agreed. "So a duet is the best option. What kind of music do you sing?"

"Jazzy, Bluesy, the like," Drew said.

"Bublé?" Ilyria spitballed.

"What's that?" Faith asked, mystified.

Ilyria raised an eyebrow. "Michael Bublé. Are you not Canadian?"

Faith looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"I'd sing ' _Feeling Good_ ,'" Drew suggested.

Ilyria nodded. "Let's get to work then."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Faith seems like the nice enough sort, but she's trying way too hard to be liked. I think I'll butt heads with Drew every now and then, but other than that, I think my team is favorable. Which reminds me-"

She checks her watch.

"This thing got knocked out of alignment. Basically, I need someone to fix it, without them- let's say... _browsing."_

* * *

"Spencer and I can back you up on drums," Arianna volunteered.

"Beautiful," Drew agreed. "Glasses, you're on SFX."

Faith straightened. "Usually, I go by 'Faith'. Fine. I have a good idea for it anyway."

"Get to it. Chop chop." Drew clapped his hands for effect. Arianna frowned.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"Drew, I'm beginning to realize, is kind of condescending. No, that's an understatement. If Drew were anymore condescending, he could be my English teacher."

* * *

"Can anyone sing?"

The Tepid Turtles were having trouble determining who was to perform.

"I can do opera," Luke suggested.

"I used to yodel," Renee put in.

"I can rap…" Nikki shyly added.

Everyone turned to her.

"Well, I…" Nikki looked at the ground. "I… practiced in my room…"

"Well," Kevin stared straight at her. "Let's hear it."

Nikki paled. "In front of all of these people?"

"Um," Kevin scoffed. "Who do you think you're performing for?"

Nikki shook her head. "I can't... Sorry."

Kevin shrugged. "It's okay, I guess."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Abigail was always around to stick with Nikki whenever she went into one of her moods. Now that she's competing on another team, it's up to me to make sure I handle her right."

* * *

"Um… Connie?"

Connie shrugged. "I got nothing here. You?"

Kevin laughed humorlessly. "Envision a goat having nonuplets."

Connie bit her lip. Slowly, she looked back at Luke. "You said you could do opera?"

Luke brightened. "Oh yeah! I took a junior opera course when I was six, and never stopped! Wanna hear a sample?"

He inhaled. "La la la… LAAAAAA~AAAAAA!"

There was a quick cut to birds flying out of trees.

Kevin slowly removed his hands from his ears. "And… no."

Renee examined her glasses. "You cracked them."

"So I'm out," Kevin counted on his fingers. "Connie's out, and Luke's out. Renee? We're getting desperate. You can yodel?"

Renee shook her head. "I stated that I _used to._ I could only manage a haphazard warble at best without training.

All eyes turned to Nikki.

"No…" she shook her head.

"You're our only hope," Luke pleaded. "We'll lose without you."

"And besides," Renee tilted her head. "If we do lose because you didn't participate, we'll just vote you out."

Nikki's eyes widened."I'll try."

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Tepid Turtles

"I was not joking. NIkki, so far, seems to be this team's weakest link. She adds very little, and the others know this. And yet Kevin seems to almost be protective of her… hm. Renee Delaney will soon be o the scene."

* * *

The Wily Wombats were also having difficulty.

"I have stage fright," Ruby admitted. "Like, bad."

"I'm better suited playing an instrument," Addie thought aloud. "I've played the cello on the street before."

"Really?" Abigail asked. "Do tell."

Addie's face reddened. "You know, you just do whatever you can for a little extra pocket change. I can't sing to save my life, though."

"Blast," Abigail snapped her fingers. "I can sing, but not well."

"Don't look at me," Madeline growled. "Traitors," she added.

"What's the beef?" Addie asked.

"She's ticked because we voted of her boyfriend, even though he was lying to us all," Michael surmised flatly.

Addie whistled. "That's a toughie. You know you can still meet when the show's over, though."

"That's the thing!" Madeline whined. "I forgot his last name!"

There was a small burst of laughter, to which Madeline muttered, "It's not funny."

"What about you, Michael?" Abigail asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"Personal reasons."

"Such as…"

Michael looked at her strangely. "Personal, implying that I don't want to share." He stood up. "I can't play an instrument either, so I'll be doing special effects."

Michael walked over to a tree and sat back down. "I'm taking a nap. Notify me when you've caught up."

Addie looked at Ruby. "Is he always this-"

"Yep," she confirmed.

Abigail sighed. "I suppose I'm our best bet then. What's a good cello song, Addie?"

Addie thought about it. " _With or Without You, Dancing Queen, Over the Rainbow_ -"

"Ooh!" Ruby put in. "If you do _Over the Rainbow_ , I might be able to make a rainbow on stage!"

"Okay," Abigail agreed. "Tough song. Addie, I assume you know all of the lyrics? I might need some help."

"Yes'm," Addie smiled. "Let's get to work!"

"Should I wake Michael?" Madeline asked.

"Let him sleep," Ruby decided. "He's always more tired than he lets on."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"I'm not the greatest singer, so I'll really be relying on Addie and Ruby to bring this one home for us."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"I like Abigail, maybe more than I like Faith. She's a natural leader, but not as overbearing as her."

* * *

" _It's a new dawn,_ " Drew sang.

" _It's a new time,_ " Ilyria sang back.

"No!" Drew slammed his fist down. "You're singing it wrong! It's _It's a new day!_ "

Ilyria looked exasperated. "This coming from the high-strung girl, but who will notice if we mess up a lyric?"

"Me!" Drew shouted.

Faith walked over to the practice area and dumped a pile of shells out of her arms. "Calm down, you two. Ilyria, a word?"

"Please," Ilyria glance at Drew before being led away.

"I think we should form an alliance," Faith explained.

Ilyria almost smirked. "I'm in one."

They looked over, to watch Renee yelling at a crying Nikki, and Luke screaming his opera.

"Do you really think those two have your best interests at heart?" Faith wondered aloud.

Ilyria looked down. "They wanted me, not the other way around. And since they both won free votes at our last challenge, it's all extra security."

"Look," Faith said. "Arianna and Drew are aligned. Arianna and Spencer are also aligned. Thing is, the two hate each other. Either Arianna unites them against one of us, or else, we turn one against the other. It's safe to say that you're not getting in with Drew, so I think, should we lose, you, Spencer and I should vote for Drew."

Ilyria thought about it.

"Only for one vote," Faith insisted. "Then we can go our separate ways if we must."

"I don't like how much this is enabling Spencer, to be honest."

"True, but is there a better, safer option? One that doesn't involve splitting votes?"

Ilyria tilted her head to the side. "I could always aspire to vote you out…"

"...which would leave you at the very bottom of this team," Faith finished. "You're smarter than that."

Ilyria groaned. "Then I see no other way. I accept. For now."

"I have to get to work on my effects," Faith said. "I'll see you."

She left.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"This entire team switch is infuriating. I was almost leading my team, and now I'm on the wrong side of a majority, where my only ally is smart enough to know I'm not her only option. Man."

* * *

"Again!" Renee instructed.

" _I- I- I-_ " Nikki stuttered out, tears in her eyes.

"No!" Renee snapped. "Again!"

"Renee, honestly!" Kevin stood up. "This is clearly not working!"

"I know!" Renee agreed.

"Here's what we're going to do," Kevin explained. "Nikki, you and I are going off alone, without Renee, Luke, or any distractions. Does that sound better?"

Nikki nodded.

"Okay. Find a spot. I need to talk with Renee," Kevin instructed as Nikki scurried off.

Kevin faced Renee, who spluttered. "In my defense-"

"You are on special effects. Not a vocal coach. Act like it," Kevin said, before walking off. Renee fumed.

"What a-"

"Hiya!" Luke jumped over. "How's it hanging?"

Renee glared at him for a split second, then smiled. "It's going great."

"Cool!" Luke smiled. "...I'm going to go find Mikey-Bear."

"...You do that," Renee nodded. Luke left.

Luke ran over to the tree at which Michael was napping.

"Mikey~…" Luke whispered as he crouched down.

Michael, understandably, was silent.

"I know you're awake…" Luke murmured. "I'm here to offer you an alliance should we hit the merge."

Silence.

"You, me, and Renee as the easy third," Luke explained. "Then we get her out, and we're the final two. Just you and me."

Michael opened one eye. "What is your obsession with me?"

He stood up and rejoined his group.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"Luke's the physical embodiment of happiness. It sucks."

* * *

"I'm back," Michael greeted as he rejoined the team.

"Oh, good," Abigail said. She coughed. "Ugh. Frog in my throat."

"Can you sing?" Ruby asked, concerned.

Abigail waved her concerns away. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about me- Addie and I have this down pact. Tell Michael your idea."

Ruby brightened. "You know how a triangular prism-"

Michael held up a hand. "Yes, I have a grasp on basic physics. Go on."

"So, I this thing was being used as decoration in the hut," Ruby suddenly brandished a glass prism. "I got Chris' permission to use it!"

Michael nodded. "Good. How shall Madeline and I help?"

Abigail answered the question. "Madeline, as we discovered, plays the violin, so we're going to have two string instruments."

"I'm still not happy about it!" Madeline called from a ways away, where she and Addie were seated.

"So, me?" Michael asked. He barked a laugh. "Are we just inventing a job for me? Is it my midlife crisis already?"

"No, actually," Abigail corrected. "You're going to set the stage. Seashells, vines whatever you want."

Michael nodded. "Sure, make the bi guy do decor."

Abigail looked shocked.

"Joke," Michael said seriously.

Abigail nodded, but still looked wary. "Okay. Can you get Addie for a second?"

Michael left and did so.

"What's up, de facto leader?" Addie asked casually.

"Leader? Me?" Abigail asked, mystified.

Addie spread his arms. "Look around; everyone's referring to you first. I'm surprised you didn't lead your original team."

Abigail looked at Drew and Abigail, and then Nikki. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Anyway, this is a bit sudden, but-"

"Alliance? Yeah," He agreed. He started to walk away.

"What?!" Abigail protested. "How did you just-"

"Agree with an idea that I thought about as much as you? Easily. We're the odd ones out, so it makes sense to join up," Addie explained. "Of course, you knew this."

She nodded. "Okay. Well, then, who's our target?"

"Madeline," Addie said. "We can probably sway Ruby and Michael to vote for her, rather than each other."

"Okay," Abigail replied. "That's all."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Do I intend on honouring my agreement with Abigail? Yes, for now. However, she's a big threat going into the merge, so I don't know how long I can stick with her."

* * *

 _Day 7_

* * *

"Iiiiiit's performance time!" Chris said to the contestants. He stood on a stage, while the fifteen players were in the audience area. "Let's welcome or judges!"

Three people walked onstage.

"...the contestants that you voted out this week!" Chris finished to a shocked crowd. Connor, John and Janson emerged.

"Connor, here to judge vocals!" Chris said. "John, here to judge music! And Janson, here to judge special effects!"

"Yo," John waved as the boys sat down.

"No more delays!" Chris said. "We're getting into it right now, starting with…"

* * *

 _Tepid Turtles- That's My State of MInd_

* * *

On the stage, there were two large drums set up, on a stage filled with sand in various designs, as well as seashells. Vines littered the ground in a weave.

Luke and Kevin stepped up behind the drums.

Connie and Renee used torches to direct a spotlight onto Nikki, who was hiding behind a microphone. She was wearing Kevin's ball cap backwards.

"Hi," she meekly said.

 _BOOM._

 _BOOM BOOM._

Nikki inhaled.

" _Yeah... yeah…_ "

Kevin and Luke pounded on the drums.

" _The hate drops deep, drops deep as my love._

 _But I never cry out, that's the mama of shove._

 _Beyond the walls of you and me, life's defined._

 _I think of us, I think of hope, that's my piece of mind."_

Nikki began shaky, but slowly stepped forward, getting into it.

" _What you gonna ask for? More trials, pain, more hate?_

 _You complain about pain while I speak for the right._

 _I'm rapping to the war,_

 _Gonna move you like a door,_

 _Give me the floor so I can soar!_

 _And with this movement, I'm leaving you behind,_

 _Because, like I said, that's my piece of mind!"_

Nikki started tapping her head to the music, while the drums got faster, and the torch spotlight swung around.

" _Poor, rich, weak, strong, acting like a fighting_

 _Boy, I tell you, I thought you were a writing._

 _I can't stand the pain, can't stand the peace_

 _I tried to hate but I got no release._

 _And through all of this, my path's defined,_

 _But I know that now, that's just my piece of mind!"_

Nikki started walking around the stage as the audience cheered. Abigail was among the loudest.

" _When I was young my mama had a plate_

 _I was kicked out without no mandate._

 _Never thought I'd see the date,_

 _Ain't a soul alive that could take her advocate._

 _I'm sorry, mama, had to leave you behind,_

 _But see me now! You give me peace of mind!"_

Nikki shouted the last word, before falling silent.

There was a tumultuous applause.

"Awesome job!" Chris said. "We won't reveal the scores, but let's go to the judges for reviews!"

 _Connor: Well, that was unexpected! Good though. Not great._

 _John: The music, while a bit lackluster, fit with the theme._

 _Janson: I very much enjoyed the onstage art, and the spotlight movement was fine._

 _Two Points will be deducted due to Connie's Curse of K'wala._

"Next!" Chris called. "We have…"

* * *

 _Daring Dingos- Feeling Good_

* * *

The stage was now illuminated with torches.

Drew opened in on the piano, on which Ilyria was seated. They were both wearing dazzling outfits.

Faith's shells decorated the stage, and Arianna and Spencer stood in the background, waving torches of their own.

Drew hit a high note on the piano, before he began to sing.

" _Birds flying high, you know how I feel…"_

Ilyria sang the next line. " _Sun in the sky, you know how I feel…_ "

They sang together in unison. " _Breeze drifting on by, you know how I feel…"_

" _It's a new dawn…"_

" _It's a new day…"_

" _It's a new life, for me…"_

They did the last line as one. " _And I'm feeling good!_ "

Drew suddenly burst into a fast-paced riff. Arianna and Spencer waved their torches quickly.

Ilyria sang. " _Fish in the sea, you know how I feel,_

 _River running free, you know how I feel_

 _Blossom on a tree, you know how I feel_

 _It's a new dawn,_

 _It's a new day,_

 _It's a new life,_

 _For me_

 _And I'm feeling good!_ "

Drew's fingers flew across the piano.

Arianna and Spencer waved their torches back and forth.

Drew sang. " _Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know?_

 _Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean_

 _Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what I mean_

 _And this old world_

 _Is a new world_

 _And a bold world_

 _For me_

 _For me!_ "

The audience was really getting into it. Arianna and Spencer launched into a creative routine.

Ilyria and Drew sang as one, in a harmony.

" _Stars when you shine, you know how I feel,_

 _Scent of the pine, you know how I feel,_

 _Oh, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel_

 _It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life_

 _It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life_

 _It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life, It's a new life_

 _For me_

 _And I'm feeling good!_

 _I'm feeling good!_

 _I feel so good!_

 _I feel so good!_ "

Everyone cheered again.

"Woo!" Abigail cheered. Then she coughed. Coughed again. Wouldn't stop coughing.

"Oh my god!" Ruby screamed. "Medic!"

They were on the scene in a second, carrying Abigail away without a second thought.

Chris didn't even notice. "Judges! Opinions?"

 _Connor: I enjoyed the duet, even if Ilyria is a traitor._

 _John: The piano was perfectly performed, but it was too quiet!_

 _Janson: Did anyone else notice Abigail being carried away, or was it just me?_

"Okay!" Chris said. "Finally, it's the Wombats' turn!"

"But- but-" Madeline protested.

"No buts!" Chris tutted. "If you don't perform, your team will automatically be sent to elimination!"

Michael sighed and stood up. He swore. "What's the blasted song?"

Addie looked at him strangely. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but-"

"Fine," he got on stage. "Do your thing."

* * *

 _Wily Wombats- Somewhere Over The Rainbow_

* * *

As Ruby used a prism to deflect a rainbow-spotlight onto a ticked-off Michael, Addie and Madeline played their respective string instruments.

On his cue, Michael sang. " _Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high_

 _There's a land that I heard of once, once in a lullaby_

 _Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue_

 _And the dreams that you dare to dream, they really do come true"_

There was a stunned silence, as everyone was enthralled by his voice. Addie and Madeline continued to play.

" _Someday I'll wish upon a star_

 _And wake up where the clouds are far behind me_

 _Where troubles melt like lemon drops_

 _Away above the chimney tops_

 _That's where you'll find me."_

Michael hit a high note, and Addie and Madeline reverently stopped playing, leaving Michael to sing acapella.

" _Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly_

 _Birds fly over the rainbow_

 _Why then oh, why can't I?"_

Addie and Madeline resumed their playing as the rainbow-spotlight intensified.

Michael inaled. " _If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow_

 _Why, oh, why can't I?"_

There was no applause. Everyone knew silence was the best way to show respect.

"Wow…" Chris was amazed. "Judges…"

 _Connor: Well… that was beautiful._

 _John: The string duo worked well, but the violin playing wasn't as good as I hoped._

 _Janson: The staging was okay but paled in comparison to the vocals, so… I don't know._

"Well," Chris said. We'll tally the points!"

While they did this, Ruby looked at Michael. "Where did you learn to sing like that?"

Michael sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"But-"

"Please," Michael said, and there were tears in his eyes.

Chris stood up. "The results are in! In first place…"

…

…

…

"Michael and the Wombats!"

 _Connor's Score: 9_

 _John's Score: 7_

 _Janson's Score: 6_

 _Total Score: 22_

"And our second place team…"

Drew and Ilyria gave each other a nervous glance.

Nikki gulped.

…

…

…

"Drew, Ilyria and the Dingos!"

Ilyria visibly sighed as Drew fist-pumped.

 _Connor's Score: 8_

 _John's Score: 8_

 _Janson's Score: 5_

 _Total Score: 21_

Nikki slumped as John looked at her.

"Sorry, Nikki, you were great, but Connie's curse tripped you up." John shrugged apologetically.

 _Connor's Score: 7_

 _John's Score: 7_

 _Janson's Score: 7_

 _Connie's Curse Deduction: -2_

 _Total Score: 19_

"Good try, Nikki," Kevin patted her on the back.

"Turtles, I'll see you at elimination tonight," Chris announced.

The teams walked off.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Wow… Michael can _sing!_ I'll have to talk to him; maybe he has more superpowers I didn't know about."

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"That performance should've been enough for the win, but I ain't complainin'. I almost had fun."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"I have no idea who to vote for. Everything's up in the air."

* * *

"Oh, hey, Nikki!" Luke called as he caught up with her.

"Hm?..." Nikki asked.

"I have to tell you something…" Luke confided.

* * *

 _Night 7_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Tepid Turtles**_

Connie, Luke, Kevin, Nikki, and Renee walked into the square elimination hut.

"Crazy day, eh?" Connie asked.

"No kidding," Kevin replied. "I didn't even have time to strategize."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"Well, I did. And now I think I know who to vote for…"

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Luke told me his plan… But I don't like it very much…"

* * *

"Turtles!" Logan called as he entered, flanked by Kayla on his left. "I believe, for some of you, this is your first elimination ceremony."

Kevin and Nikki looked at each other briefly.

"So, you're probably all exhausted, right?" Logan asked. "What with the all-nighter. Luke?"

Luke laughed. "Running on fumes, my good man."

Logan nodded. "And so there wasn't a lot of time for strategy talk."

"As was the intention, no doubt," Kevin smirked wryly. "I literally could not speak to anyone else about the vote."

"But what if others did?" Logan asked.

"That's where my fail safe comes in," Kevin agreed. "I am voting for the person everyone assumes I am voting for- no reason to stir the pot. Anyone who wants to join me, can."

"And who might that be?" Logan asked.

"I can't say," Kevin admitted. "Whoever it is, doesn't know it's them."

"I see," Logan agreed. "Nikki, you surprised us all with your rap today, and yet your team lost. Who do you blame the loss on?"

"Me…" Nikki sighed. "I could have done better…"

"Interesting. Renee, who do you blame the loss on?"

"Nikki and Connie- Nikki because she could have done better, as she said, and Connie because her curse deducted enough points for us to be sitting here," Renee finished.

"And Connie?"

"Oh, the same, really," Connie shrugged. "I think Nikki's being too hard on herself, though."

"Well," Logan cocked his head to one side. "Luke, how are you voting tonight?"

Luke sat up straight. "I will vote for the person whom I believe our team could do without, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time."

"Well, with that," Logan announced, "It's time to vote. We'll go alphabetically, so Connie, you're up first."

Connie stood up and made her way over to the voting area.

"Sorry, Renee," she said, writing the journalist's name down. "You're too big a threat."

Luke was after her. "This vote is going to turn some heads."

Kevin went after him. "I firmly stand by my vote."

Nikki was next. "Oh… I don't know!..."

Renee was last. "Connie needs to go home," she said. "The curse is too dangerous."

Once she returned, Logan stood up. "I'll tally the votes."

While he did this, the team stared awkwardly at Kayla.

"Oh, I'm just here for moral support!" She said.

Logan returned. "If anyone has a game changer and would like to play it, speak or forever hold your peace… until the next ceremony."

Luke didn't move.

Connie fiddled with a piece of string.

Renee reached into her pocket…

...she pulled out an empty hand.

"I'll now read the votes," Logan announced.

He slowly unfolded the first piece of paper. "The first vote… Renee."

Renee nodded; she looked confident.

"The second vote…" Logan paused. "Connie."

Connie stuck her tongue out at Renee jokingly.

"As is the third vote," Logan said, reading the paper. "Two votes Connie, one vote Renee, two votes to go."

Connie looked very confused, and started to count on her fingers.

He unfolded the fourth paper, and read the name.

…

…

…

"Renee," Logan finally stated.

Renee and Connie looked at each other, worried.

Logan looked at the last piece of paper. "We do not have a tie. The fourth person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

…

…

…

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…

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…

…

…

…

…

…

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…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

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…

"Connie," Logan finally stated, showing the paper so that everyone could see.

"What?" Kevin asked, awed.

Connie stood up and stretched. "Dang it."

She turned to Luke. "I take it you told her?"

Luke nodded, unable to look Connie in the eyes.

"Told her what?" Kevin asked. " _Told her what?_ "

Connie sauntered over to Logan. "My time to go, eh?"

She looked over her shoulder. "Somebody tell Spencer to look me up after the show!"

Logan looked at her solemnly. "Connie, you have finished the game in fourteenth place."

Connie nodded silently. Then she left.

" _Told her what?!_ " Kevin asked, exasperated.

Logan turned to the camera. "With Connie blindsided by her friend, how will the team react?"

"Why is Madeline acting so weird?" Kayla asked.

"And will Faith's tentative alliance with Ilyria crumble?" Logan finished. "All this and more on…"

"Total!" Kayla shouted.

"Drama!" Logan added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" They said together, before Kayla planted a kiss on Logan's cheek.

* * *

Final Confessional: Connie- 14th Place

"Oh, man! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that I went home with an advantage in my pocket, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Obviously I'm rooting for Spencer, but I wouldn't mind seeing Luke win. Team Wombat represent!"

* * *

 _Connie has decided to pass on her Game Changer to… Spencer_

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Connie voted for… Renee_

 _Kevin voted for… Renee_

 _Luke voted for… Connie_

 _Nikki voted for… Connie_

 _Renee voted for… Connie_

* * *

 **And there you have it! It was a toss up between Renee and Connie here, but in the end I could do more with Renee, plot-wise.**

 **Synopsis on Connie**

 **Hero, Villain, or Neutral: Neutral**

 **Why: I mean, Connie was nice and all, but didn't really do anything heroic on her team. Plus, her entire strategy was to stay neutral.**

 **Best moment: I still like her roasts on Drew from chapter one. I made up that 'head full of air' one myself.**

 **Worst moment: Her refusal to stay aligned, resulting in a blindside when the three Wombats (Luke, Renee and her) could have had an easy majority on their new team.**

 **Question time!**

 **1: What are three things you liked about this chapter?**

 **2: What are three things you didn't like about this chapter?**

 **3: What are three things that surprised you about this chapter?**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **Have a good one!**


	8. Ep7: Cash and Grab

**Thor's Note: I'm officially phasing out 'Question Time's and Synopses. However, If you do review, I will be answering you here.**

 **La Rossa Rosa- Yeah, I wanted to throw y'all for a loop. In fact, I got the idea of an early team swap from the latest season of Survivor.**

 **TotalDramaFan04- I'm glad you're liking it so much!**

 **Beastboycoolman15- The new friendships, will be especially important coming up. Sorry about the elimination, but, it happens. Connie was one of my favorites, but I really couldn't justify her going much further since Luke had her number.**

 **Skyn1nja123- (You didn't technically review, but still)- Hopefully this chapter helps to quench you K'wala thirst.**

…

 **...Please forget that metaphor.**

 **So there it is! Without further adieu…**

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _Tensions were flying high on the Dingos after Madeline lashed out at her team for eliminating Janson. So, it was lucky for them that a team swap was inbound! Abigail and Luke received extra votes- Luke his second of the game- as a result. Things looked bad in the singing challenge when Abigail, their lead, fell ill, but Michael swooped in to take the victory for his team, sending the new Turtles to their first elimination. In the end, Luke betrayed his friend Connie, sending her home._

 _Fourteen remain in the game! Who will go home tonight on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Abigail and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Day 8_

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Kevin, Luke, Nikki, Renee**_

Though it was noon, the Turtles were just waking up, presumably all having gone to sleep promptly after the ceremony.

Luke, Renee, and Nikki lay snoring together on some soft sand. Kevin was about fifty feet away from the group.

The writer opened his eyes. He stood up and stretched, and stared out into the horizon.

Kevin grabbed a well-worn notebook from his pocket, followed by a pen. He clicked the pen three times- a ritual. Then he began to write.

" _Sunshine on my face…"_ he murmured as he wrote. " _Warmth that penetrates the soul…"_

He shook his head, and scratched out a few lines.

" _Calm. Carefree on this beach…"_ He muttered. " _Still as the night…"_

"And…" Kevin looked at his work. "Done."

"Cool!" Luke said brightly from behind him. Kevin jumped several feet and snapped his notebook shut.

"God, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Kevin sighed exasperatedly. Then he glared. "We need to talk about that vote. Right now."

Luke shrugged. "What's there to talk about? Renee, Nikki, and I voted for Connie. You and Connie voted for Renee. Am I missing anything?"

"How about this: Why blindside Connie? And why did you tell Nikki and not me?"

Luke chuckled darkly. "A magician-"

Kevin cut him off. "Realize that I can ask Nikki, and she'll tell me everything. At least here you might be able to concoct a lie."

"Ugh. Fine…" Luke said whiningly. "Connie was the swing vote between Renee and me, and you and Nikki. And frankly, she seemed to be swinging the wrong way. So I fed Nikki some lie about her having an advantage and got her and Renee to take out the middleman. Plus, she was cursed, so at least we're helping with that.

"And," Luke added, "To answer your other question, I chose to tell Nikki over you because Nikki's more gullible."

Kevin thought about it. "You know, I can appreciate that, actually. It's good strategy."

"Well-"

"But," Kevin continued. "You've forgotten to take one thing into account."

Luke's brow furrowed. "Eh?"

"Who has the idols?" Kevin asked ominously, before walking away.

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"Take it from an actor- he's lying through his teeth. Plus, they're called Game Changers, not idols. Nice try, but ol' Lukey's smarter than that."

He pulls on the door to let himself out, and locks himself in.

"Bad timing, nothing more," Luke nods confidently.

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

* * *

Renee and Nikki woke up simultaneously. Nikki yawned and stretched.

"Hi…" Nikki waved meekly.

"Hello," Renee said simply, not taking her eyes off of the shy girl. "We got off on the wrong foot. Let us reacquaint ourselves."

"Okay…" Nikki nodded, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Renee flipped her notepad open. "What is your full name?"

"Nicole Valentine," She responded. "And yours?"

Renee looked mildly tired. "Renee Elizabeth Emily-Elizabeth Delaney."

Nikki hesitated. "Did you just say-"

"Yes," Renee confirmed. "Emily-Elizabeth is my middle name. Elizabeth is my religious name. Where are you from?"

Nikki paused again. "Well… My dad lives in Kelowna, British Columbia… But my mom lives in Hastings, New York… But I was born in Detroit, Michigan… But I have dual citizenship-"

"Okay," Renee cut her off immediately. "I, before you ask, am from Calistoga, California. Now we shall get into the interview portion."

Nikki nodded quietly.

"Favorite color?" Renee asked, her pen ready.

"Purple."

"Animal?"

"Cat."

"Book Series?"

" _Rise and Fall of the Snowman Empire_."

"Dream Job?"

"Feline Vet."

"Last question," Renee looked at Nikki over the tops of her spectacles. "Are you aware that Kevin is manipulating you?"

"What?!..." Nikki leaned so far backward she almost fell over, spluttering.

"Oh, yes," Renee muttered solemnly. "Luke and I heard him bragging to Connie about how he had half his team wrapped around his finger. The two of them would have made a deadly duo, with his strategic skills and her luck and advantage-finding prowess. That's why he was so shocked to see her gone."

"But," Nikki fretted. "Why didn't he try to eliminate me?"

"Because," Renee patted her shoulder. "He needed you and Connie for the majority. Once Luke was gone, they would have turned on you."

Nikki's eyes widened. "Oh no! I've got to tell-"

She faltered. "...Kevin…"

"See?" Renee shrugged. "He manipulated you into trusting him, and was planning to betray you all along. Who suggested your alliance?"

"He did…" Nikki shook her head. "I can't believe he did that! And I trusted him!"

Renee tutted. "We should get rid of him next, no?"

"Yeah," Nikki agreed. "Thank you, Renee… I'm going to wash up…"

As soon as she was out of earshot, Renee let out a guffaw of laughter.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- Tepid Turtles

"Honestly, Nikki is so gullible it's cute. 'Advantage-finding prowess?' Even I could see the holes in my logic. But, more importantly, Nikki couldn't. Now we have five votes against Kevin. This should serve as a lesson: Nobody messes with Renee Delaney, ace reporter, and gets away with it."

She tries to open the door and hears a faint 'click'. The door doesn't budge.

"...Oh dear."

* * *

"Hey, Niks!" Kevin greeted as he approached Nikki, who was drying herself off with a towel.

Nikki looked at Kevin fearfully. She suddenly turned away without speaking.

Kevin's brow furrowed. "What's going on?"

Nikki started to walk away.

"Wha- Nikki! NIKKI!" Kevin followed her at a faster pace. Soon he had caught up once again.

Nikki shied away once more. Kevin grabbed her shoulder.

"Eek!" Nikki scurried away, only to trip on a branch and fall to the ground. She scooted up against a tree.

Kevin, with his arms raised in the surrender position, slowly sat down at the tree opposite. "Nikki, I'm trying to help you. Please, what's going on?"

Nikki closed her eyes tight. " _Reneetoldmeyou'vebeenlyingtometogetmyvoteandyouweregoingtobetrayme!"_ She shouted quickly, without stopping for breath.

Kevin didn't look angry; rather, intrigued. "Really? Do tell."

Nikki shook her head. "I can't give you any more information!"

"Okay…" Kevin said calmly. "Just hear me out. After she gets you to eliminate me, who are you going to vote for?"

"Um… Luke," Nikki decided.

"And who will Luke vote for?"

"Me…" Nikki frowned.

"And who has the power to determine who stays and who goes?"

"Renee," Nikki finished. "But-"

Kevin forged on. "Reverse the scenarios. If either Luke or Renee was eliminated at my hand, who would the other vote for?"

"You," Nikki murmured.

"And I, no matter if I voted for them or you- and the former seems much more appealing- would still give you the opportunity to choose your victim. The worst you could do would be to force a three-way tie, in which case, you would know I was disloyal, and you could get rid of me. At best, your vote would decide the eliminee. In either case, who holds the power?" Kevin asked.

"Me," Nikki realized.

Kevin nodded. "Renee fears your having that power. She knows you would rather vote for her than me. That's why she wants to drive a wedge between us."

"But how do I know which one of you is lying to me? One of you has to be," Nikki fretted.

Kevin swayed his hand. "Only you can make your own call. That is your one true freedom in this game- hold on to it."

With that, the writer stood and left, leaving Nikki alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"I think I can trust Kevin… but what if Renee's right? Who do I listen to? Or do I just go with my gut? I- I- I- ack!"

Nikki tries to storm out of the confessional, but runs into the door, which doesn't move. "Ow!"

* * *

"...The same thing happened to me!" Luke said, conversing with Renee. "I had to jiggle the lock and-"

"Oop, it's Kevin," Renee pointed out. A furious Kevin was storming towards them.

"What's he so ticked about?" Luke wondered, tossing a coconut in the air.

Renee went red. "I should-"

"Renee!" Kevin called, interrupting. He stopped an inch away from her nose.

"Who the {CENSORED} do you think you are, lying to Nikki?" He bellowed angrily.

Luke looked confused. "You have the wrong guy. I was the one who told her to vote for Connie."

Kevin faced him. "I was not speaking about that. Shut the {CENSORED} up."

"I'll wait over there," Luke nervously scurried off.

Kevin slowly met Renee's eyes.

"Calm down-" Renee began.

"Do not tell me to calm down!" Kevin shouted. "Thanks to your deception, Nikki is on the verge of a mental breakdown! I don't know if you normally manipulate people to the point where they can't even trust themselves, but where I come from, that's not {CENSORED} okay!"

Renee coughed. "Why on earth are you so defensive about this girl? I've never seen you this angry."

"Because," Kevin began, but then faltered. "...she reminds me of someone.

"That's not the point!" He continued.

Renee smirked. "Then, pray tell, what is?"

"The point is: Nikki is too innocent to be manipulated, mentally or emotionally. I do not expect you to make amends-"

"Like I was going to," Renee muttered.

"-but you will do nothing of the sort to her again. Is that clear?" Kevin asked. "I said, is that {CENSORED} clear?"

Renee nodded as patronizingly as she could.

"Good," Kevin muttered. "Now, I'm going to make a confessional."

Luke and Renee shared a sidelong glance, and they smirked.

"Please do!" Luke encouraged.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Renee is an immoral person. I can't respect that. And I have to protect La- I mean Nikki."

He reaches for the door… and opens it easily, before leaving.

* * *

Confessional: Chris

"You know, every censor costs, like, thirty bucks. I wish Kevin would stop."

He sighs, and immediately runs into the re-locked door.

* * *

Confessional: Kayla

Kayla is working on the door hinge with a screwdriver. Satisfied, she opens and closes it a few times, places something on the doorframe, and leaves.

* * *

Renee turned to Luke. "I can't believe you made me do that."

"Sorry," Luke apologized. "But Nikki would never have listened to me."

Renee shrugged boredly, and left the clearing.

"And now," Luke added in a quiet whisper, "I'm not the target."

* * *

 _Night 8… Day 9_

* * *

 _ **Daring Dingos: Arianna, Drew, Faith, Ilyria, Spencer**_

Spencer woke up with a start. He was lying on an air mattress which had been won nearly eight days ago.

The silent prop master immediately went for his bag. Standing, he reached inside- his arm plunged up to the elbow, and rummaged around, thinking.

He frowned- his taped mouth sagged at the corners. Then, the mime began to pull things out of his bag, one after another, tossing them in a pile.

A hand-turkey was thrown onto the pile. Then a notepad. Then a parcel. Then what appeared to be an entire mini-fridge.

Finally, Spencer triumphantly found what he had clearly been looking for- a roll of black duct tape. He motioned to the camera, telling it to turn away, which it did.

While he couldn't be seen, the definitive _SHUCK_ was clearly Spencer pulling off his tape, and the softer, quieter _SNICK_ made it clear that he was reapplying it. The camera turned back to him.

Satisfied, he began to put things back in his satchel. First the mini-fridge, then the notepad, then the tape roll, then the parcel-

Spencer froze. He stared at the parcel, confused. Slowly, he undid the twine, removed the burlap, and stared at the contents.

Then, his eyes widened, the satchel hit the ground and he fainted.

 _CRASH._

"I'm awake!" Drew hoarsely shouted, springing upward.

"I think we all are," Faith groaned, stretching.

"I know I am," Arianna muttered.

Spencer, dazed, stashed the parcel away. Then he put up his hand and nodded, pretending to have just awoken.

"I think Ilyria's asleep," Faith pointed out, looking at the mass beneath the blankets on the second air mattress.

"Dang, that girl could sleep through a freakin' thunderstorm," Drew rolled his eyes. "Who's on breakfast duty?"

All eyes turned to Spencer, who pointed to Drew and Faith.

"Really?" Faith asked. "I could've sworn it was Drew and Arianna."

Spencer shook his head.

"Okay, it's your system. Let's go, Drew."

Drew nodded and the two departed.

"He's improving," Arianna murmured. "A week ago he wouldn't have even considered making food."

Spencer tapped Arianna on the shoulder and pulled out the parcel once again.

"Is that a-"

Spencer put a finger to his lips and pointed to the sleeping mass that was Ilyria.

"Okay," Arianna whispered. "Is that a Game Changer?"

He nodded and smiled, excited.

"And it lets you…" Arianna paused as she read. "Cast two extra votes and stay immune? That's powerful."

Spencer clapped quietly.

Arianna smiled, but then frowned. "But… Drew told me that the only way advantages are given to you is if someone else is eliminated and chooses to pass it on. That's how he got his."

Spencer stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Who was on the Turtles? We can predict who went home. Let's see… It was Luke, Renee…"

Spencer shook his head.

"...Nikki…"

Spencer shrugged, but then made an X with his hands.

"...Kevin, and…"

Arianna paused. Spencer's eyes widened at the implication.

"...and Connie…"

Spencer didn't move. He was standing stock still.

"Oh, Spencer, I'm so sorry…" Arianna whispered. The two hugged.

Spencer slowly went over to his satchel, and pulled out a piece of stationery paper- his poem. He held it in one shaking fist.

"Let's go help with breakfast," Arianna encouraged. "It'll take your mind off of things."

Spencer didn't move.

"Come on," Arianna encouraged. Reluctantly, the two left the cave.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Daring Dingos

"..." Spencer sits in the confessional, unmoving. Then she shakes his head and leaves with his head bowed.

* * *

The cave was empty, except for Ilyria.

Suddenly, a bat flew in, shrieking. It landed on the girl, who was still sleeping.

The bat squealed. No reaction. It hopped. No reaction.

Finally, bored, the bat flew away, pulling off the blanket as it did so, exposing a mass of pillows underneath. The pillows fell away- Ilyria was not there.

The real Ilyria suddenly flew into the cave- literally, using rocket-powered boots, and touched down, breathing heavily. She gave the cameraman a stern look before substituting her boots for regular shoes.

"Ugh, I'm wiped out," she groaned, before flopping onto her air mattress. She fell asleep instantly.

A second later, Faith walked in and shook the Brit awake.

"Do you mind?" Ilyria peeked one eye open. "I'm trying to sleep."

Faith chuckled. "You've been sleeping for twelve hours. Come on, it's breakfast time."

Reluctantly, Ilyria allowed herself to be dragged away from her bed.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"I haven't slept… in thirty six hours… and I… can't…. tell… any-"

Ilyria suddenly stops talking and falls forward, hitting her head on the camera, which jolts her awake.

* * *

"So!" Drew smirked as he ate rice out of a coconut. "Who do you think went home?"

"Connie," Arianna immediately blurted.

Drew leveled an eyebrow at her. "I wish, hon. But realistically, every-freakin'-body loves her."

"I hope... it was Luke... the buffoon…" Ilyria yawned out.

Faith looked at her, concerned. "Are you coming down with something?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay…." Faith said warily. "Well, I didn't interact much with most of that team, but I hope Kevin stays."

"Kevin?" Drew asked. "Like, 'head-over-heels in love with you' Kevin?"

"What?" Faith repeated.

"Oh, yeah," Drew said through a mouthful of food. "He obviously didn't tell me nothin', but you should see his face light up when someone mentions you. It's pretty pathetic, really."

He looked at Arianna for support.

"Oh yes," she agreed emphatically, but her heart wasn't in it.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"The more I spend time with Arianna, the more I like her. Honestly, she's a hottie with a brain _and_ a body."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"The more I spend time with Drew, the less I like him. He's obnoxious, overbearing… and so was I. But Spencer's helping me change. And maybe dropping Drew is step one in that process."

* * *

"I'm takin' a dump," Drew stood up.

"Charming," Arianna muttered. Then she, too stood up. "I'm going to refill my water. Does anyone want to come with?"

Spencer raised his hand, and Arianna helped him up.

Drew stared at the two of them for a second too long, and one could almost see the cogs spinning in his fedora-covered head. Then all three left, leaving only Faith and Ilyria.

"So-" Faith began.

"Hold that thought," Ilyria interjected. She took off her watch. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Okay…"

"Can you…" Ilyria paused to yawn, "...fix this watch?"

Faith nodded. "Probably. I'm pretty good with computers."

"Here's the catch," Ilyria added. "You can't look at anything inside."

"Anything else?" Faith asked politely.

"What?" Ilyria protested. "I just told you that you can't look at anything! That's not an issue to you?"

"I respect your privacy," Faith replied. "The watch?"

Ilyria started to hand it over, but hesitated. "Actually, I think I'll have a go at it myself first."

"Sure," Faith shrugged. "If you need me, I'm there."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Faith's attitude is worrying me. Why is she so calm about this all?"

* * *

"Actually, we should discuss the next vote," Faith said.

"Why?" Ilyria asked. "Aren't we voting for Drew?"

Faith smiled. "That was the plan, yes, but I have a counter-proposition."

"Do tell."

"What if we voted for Arianna? As far as I can tell, her and Drew are still going to vote for Spencer, which would mean that as long as Spencer didn't vote for himself, in the tiebreaker re-vote, it would be our vote against Drew's. Then Arianna would leave, which would force Drew and Spencer to either align together or align with one of us, and I think option two is more likely. Then we'd be in the majority."

Ilyria thought about it. "What if, against all odds, Drew and Spencer worked together? I don't like my chances of beating either of them in a mental tiebreaker."

"I say we take the chance. Arianna is the only thing the two have in common- we need to eliminate that."

Ilyria's eyebrows raised. "That's…" she yawned. "...another thing. What if Arianna consults Drew and Spencer individually, telling them to vote for the same person?"

"Then let's try to talk to Drew, and convince him that we're voting for Spencer."

Ilyria shook her head. "That won't do anything, though!" Arianna and Spencer vote for me, you and I vote for Arianna, and Drew votes for Spencer. The revote will be Spencer, Drew, and you, and neither Drew nor Spencer will vote for Arianna! Arianna holds all the power!"

"That's why we need to eliminate her!" Faith insisted, her voice rising.

"We can't! There's no way-"

"There's always a way!"

"Somehow, I'm the one who hasn't slept in a day and a half, and I'm still the rational one here!" Ilyria shouted hoarsely.

She realized what she said, and rushed to correct herself.

"You haven't slept in a day and a half?" Faith asked.

"No, I-"

"Sleep!" Faith insisted. "Like, now!"

"But-"

"We have a challenge tomorrow! You need your strength!"

"But-"

"I'll cover for you," Faith interrupted. "Just get some rest!"

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"There are three reasons why Ilyria needs to sleep. One, she's arguably our strongest member right now. Two, she's acting a little weird, with her watch and the potential vote. And three," Faith says, looking worried. "I can't face her right now. Why?

"Because I think she might be right. And that scares me."

* * *

 _Night 9_

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Abigail, Addie, Madeline, Michael, Ruby**_

"And… ha!" Addie declared victoriously, as his campfire sprang to life. Ruby and Abigail politely clapped, while Michael read and Madeline glared at the team.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Abigail elbowed Ruby.

"Campfire songs?" Ruby asked.

"Campfire songs," Abigail agreed.

"Oh, no, anything but campfire songs," Michael groaned.

"You of all people should enjoy singing," Addie noted.

Michael paused his reading to give him a stern look. "I believe we agreed not to discuss that."

"We did," Addie sighed. "Still, you could make a CD if you wanted to."

"CD?" Michael repeated. "Where have you been for the last few years? Almost nobody buys CDs anymore."

Addie froze. "Ha, I knew that," he blurted quickly. "It was just a metaphor."

"Let's drop the subject," Michael suggested.

"Agreed."

Ruby rubbed her hands together. "Let the campfire songs… COMMENCE!"

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"I love campfire songs! They're right up there with banana pudding and cats."

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Okay, cats I understand, but _banana pudding?_ Really?"

* * *

"That's my cue to leave," Michael stood up.

Madeline, too, stood. "I'm not about to sing with a bunch of traitors."

"Actually, could we talk?" Michael asked.

"Fine," Madeline resigned herself and was led off-screen, just as the other three began to sing, loudly and off-key.

Michael led the girl into a small forest clearing.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked, suddenly throwing his hands up in the air.

Madeline sniffed. "Of course _you'd_ be mean to me."

"That's exactly what I mean!" Michael said, exasperated. "You're throwing your whole game away because we eliminated your ally-"

"My boyfriend!" Madeline interjected.

"-your ally." Michael repeated, "What do you think acting like you are will accomplish? I'm not going to apologize for doing what I did, and Ruby won't either. And you're being rude to Abigail and Addie for no reason- they had nothing to do with Janson's elimination! You're ruining your own chances out of anger!"

Madeline simply checked her watch. "Are you done?"

"Yes, I quite am," Michael agreed.

"I'm mad because you think Janson was a liar," Madeline surmised. "He wasn't."

"He wasn't… and yet he convinced you to stray from the team decision to vote me off and almost blindsided Faith."

"He was playing an honest game!" Madeline protested.

"And when Ruby, Faith and I did the exact same thing, except to blindside him, we became traitors," Michael stated.

"He-" Madeline paused, "I- You- Yes! You are all traitors!"

Michael sighed. "I can't believe this. You are so obsessed with Janson-"

"Don't talk about Janson like that!" Madeline shrieked.

"God, you're incorrigible," Michael groaned. "To sum up: You and Janson tried to blindside Faith when the team consensus was to vote me out. Ruby and Faith tried to blindside Janson when the team consensus was to vote me out. They succeeded. You did not. So we betrayed you?"

Madeline smacked her forehead. "What about this aren't you getting? Michael? MICHAEL?"

Michael, however, had turned around and walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"Madeline is so obsessed with Janson that she's not thinking straight. Truth be told, I originally wanted to convince her to align with me, but now… I think I just put a target on my back."

* * *

"You can't ride in my little red wagon!" Ruby shouted.

"YOU CAN'T RIDE IN MY LITTLE RED WAGON!" Abigail and Addie called back.

"The axle's broken and the wheels are draggin'!"

"THE AXLE'S BROKEN AND THE WHEELS ARE DRAGGIN'!"

They all chanted together. "NEXT! VERSE! SAME AS THE FIRST! BUT A LITTLE BIT LOUDER AND A LITTLE BIT WORSE!"

"Hold that thought," Michael interrupted, approaching. "We _are_ voting out Madeline next, correct?"

"Yep," Addie agreed.

"Mmm-hmm," Abigail nodded.

"Yes," Ruby said.

"Okay," Michael said, turning right back around. "Continue."

As he left, they started up the chant again. "YOU CAN'T RIDE IN MY LITTLE RED WAGON!"

"You see?" Michael asked Madeline, who was hiding behind a tree ten feet away. "They want you gone."

Madeline gasped. "But… why?"

"I'll give you a hint- it's not because they're traitors," Michael rolled his eyes. "I'd suggest you- Madeline? Wait! Mad- crap."

Madeline had marched away, until she was directly in the middle of the camp.

" _WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE VOTING FOR ME?!"_ She bellowed, interrupting the song.

There was a moment of silence.

"Well, uh," Addie began. "It's nothing personal, but… you just don't have a good attitude… back me up here, Ruby."

Ruby spluttered. "And you haven't been helping around camp either… like meals and stuff… Take it away, Abigail."

"Let's see…" Abigail thought. "Oh! We can't really leave you alone, either… no offense, but you're more of a responsibility than a responsible person."

"Agreed," Addie nodded.

"That's a good point," Ruby added.

Madeline huffed. "Is that how it is? Well, then sit your ingrateful butts down, because I will take the _responsibility_ of making you a meal, and I will do it with a good attitude!" She declared.

"A meal? It's almost midnight," Addie interjected.

"Sit. Down." Madeline warned, and he did so. "I'm going to find some berries."

Ruby brightened. "Oh! There's a good patch by the-"

"Don't want to hear it," Madeline interrupted, and then left.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"I'm kind of concerned. This tiny girl just upped and left. At midnight. Alone. With no light source. Maybe I should follow her?..."

Abigail thinks about this.

"...Nah. I'll let her prove herself."

* * *

"...They think I'm a chore…" Madeline muttered, feeling her way around. "...stupid...immature…"

"Aha!" she declared as she felt a bush. On it were several small, hard dots- berries.

Madeline grinned and popped a berry off the plant to sample it.

"Mmm," she said happily, chewing. "See?... I can help!"

Madeline started collecting the berries happily.

"That'll show-"

 _SNAP._

She froze.

"Hello…?" She called in a warble. "Are you there?"

Silence.

Then, _SNAP-SNAP._

"Oh…" Madeline looked frightened. Then she steeled herself. "No. I need to teach them a lesson."

Ignoring the snapping of branches, she continued collecting food.

"Gee, it's dark out here…" Madeline muttered. She stood. "I think I'll double back for a torch."

She began to walk away.

" _AROOoooOOO!"_

Madeline lost it at that. Dropping all of her collected berries, the gymnast took off in a random direction. "Help! Help!"

She continued to blindly careen around, with no sense of here she was going, until suddenly, she tripped on a branch. Madeline fell to the ground with an awful _THUD_ and a sickening _CRACK._

"Ow…" Madeline whimpered, clutching her arm. "Help…"

Silence.

"Please… someone… please…"

No one answered her calls.

"Please… I wanna go home…" she weakly insisted.

Madeline started to lose consciousness, her head dipping as she did so.

"Janson?..."

The screen went black.

* * *

 _Day 10_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: K'wala Caves**_

The three teams converged at a grayish stone cavern. There, Chris stood, accompanied by Logan and Beck.

"Hello, teams!" Chris announced once they were all there.

"Hello, Chris!" Luke shouted back. "How ya doin'?"

"Um… I honestly don't know how to react to that one…" Chris said flatly. "Let's address the elephant in the room first!"

"You may have noticed that Connie was voted out by the Turtles," Logan began, and at this Spencer's face fell, his suspicions confirmed.

"However, there is another notable absence," Logan stated. "Madeline has been pulled from the competition for medical reasons, and thus has become our fourteenth-place competitor."

Everyone gasped.

"This will not affect the challenge," Chris said. "The losing team will still go to elimination as planned."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"So Madeline's gone, huh? Well, too bad for her, but it means we're all that much closer to the million dollars."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"If we went to a vote right now… well, I don't know what would happen. The team consensus was to vote Madeline out, but now she's gone and everything's up in the air."

* * *

Chris continued, "But first, we must redistribute the Curse of K'wala, as the recipient was eliminated."

"And for that," Logan said, "we have Total Drama Classic Competitor… Koh Lewandowski!"

Koh, bored and chewing some gum, entered the clearing from the cave, giving Logan a fist bump as she passed.

She frowned and lazily pointed to Abigail. "You."

Then she left the way she came.

"Really?" Kevin scoffed. "That's it?"

Logan chuckled. "You would not believe how much Chris used to bribe her-"

"Zzt!" Chris mimed zipping up his lips. "Anyway, the decision is made! Our next curse recipient is Abigail!"

"Are you kidding me?" Abigail muttered.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"I realized that in a 2-2 split- Addie and me versus Ruby and Michael- my extra vote would be critical. And as soon as I thought of that... I got the curse."

* * *

"Let's get to the challenge!" Chris exclaimed. "Beck, explain."

"For this challenge," Beck explained in his southern voice, which, although he didn't noticed, made Nikki sigh contentedly, "You will be tied, three-legged race style, two one member from the other two teams. Then, working as a group, you'll enter the main cave, where hundreds of tiny coins are littered. You have to collect these coins. Copper coins are worth one point, bronze two, iron five, and gold twenty. Whichever team gets the most points at the end of ten minutes will win."

"The twist," Chris added, "Is that the higher-scoring coins are further down the main cave, but the further you move away, the less coins you'll see. Does the risk balance the reward? We'll see."

"In addition, you're playing for a reward," Logan declared. "The winning team, as well as the group that collects the most, will win…"

"...Letters from home," he finished.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Letters from home? I need to win this one."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Meh. The reward doesn't do much for me. But I'm still going to try to win."

* * *

"Dingos, pick someone to sit out."

"I'll do it," Drew immediately volunteered, much to everyone's surprise.

"Okay," Chris confirmed.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"I… heh heh… don't really like the dark…"

* * *

"Let's get this show on the road!" Chris announced. " **Group one: Arianna versus Luke versus Michael!** "

"Mikey bear!" Luke cheered.

"Great…" Michael groaned.

Arianna surveyed the two. "It should be an easy win," she surmised.

" **Group two: Faith versus Kevin versus Addie!"**

"Hey," Faith waved meekly at Kevin.

"Hey," Kevin waved back.

"Calm down, lovebirds, this is meant for children," Addie snickered.

" **Group three: Ilyria versus Nikki versus Ruby!"**

Both Nikki and Ruby frowned at Ilyria's bulk.

"We should work together," Ruby whispered. Nikki nodded.

"Which leaves **group four: Spencer versus Renee versus Abigail!"**

Spencer nodded curtly.

Renee raised an eyebrow at him. "Mad that we took out your girl?"

Abigail just sighed. "What's my curse, McLean?"

Chris thought about it. "I hadn't really thought of one… Oh, I know. Your hands have to be behind your back."

"Both of them?" Abigail asked, shocked.

"Yep."

"Great," she groaned, placing her hands in the proper position.

"Group one, you're first," Chris announced. Michael, Luke, and Arianna nodded. "Ready? Go!"

The three immediately fell down, their feet tied together.

"Hoo, boy, this is going to suck," Michael groaned as they got up, before half-hopping, half-crawling to the entrance. Then they were inside.

"Whoa," Luke's jaw dropped as the cave glittered with hundreds or even thousands of coins.

Michael and Arianna had already begun to collect.

"Wait!" Luke protested. "Don't we want to try for gold-"

"No," Michael and Arianna said at the same time as the latter snatched a silver coin away from the former.

"Fine…" Luke dropped down and began to grab coins of his own.

There was quiet, except for the clinking of coins on coins.

"Hey!" Luke said suddenly. "We should start an alliance!"

"Nope," Michael replied.

"Go on," Arianna replied at the same time, while snatching a bronze coin from Luke's stash.

Luke smiled. "We're the smartest people here. If we hit the merge, we'd be unstoppable!"

"Nope," Michael repeated, shuffling around on his knees and picking up a copper coin.

"He makes a good point," Arianna reasoned. As Luke beamed, she stole a gold coin from his collection.

Michael coughed. "Do you guys really want to do this?"

"Yes!" Luke exclaimed.

"Yes, and not just because this discussion has allowed me to take half of Luke's coins," Arianna reasoned.

Luke looked at his pile and gasped. "GASP!"

"Here are my conditions," Michael stated, protecting his stash from Arianna. "No Renee, no Drew."

"We can't bring them into the alliance?" Luke pouted.

"No," Michael corrected. "You have to eliminate them entirely."

Luke froze, letting his coins spill. Arianna eagerly took them.

"You'll be trading one ally for two," Michael reasoned. "Three, if I can convince Ruby."

Luke thought about it. "Okay! I kind of threw Renee under the bus already, so… yeah."

Michael turned to Arianna. "How about it?"

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"Michael's offer is a dangerous one. But four in a merge is powerful, and I know I won't get an opportunity like this again. Still…"

* * *

Arianna was silent for a second. Then she spoke. "I-"

 _BEEP!_

"That's time!" Chris announced. Holding their collections, the three exited the cave.

"Consider it," Michael whispered, before untying their legs and walking away.

"Let's keep things going with group two!" Chris announced. "Kevin, Faith, Addie, are you ready?"

"Yessir," Addie nodded.

"Go!"

With considerably more coordination, the trio entered the cave. They mad a silent but unanimous decision to keep going, further into the cavern where more gold coins lay.

"Aha!" Addie exclaimed victoriously as they came across a small outcrop filled with silver and gold. He started picking up coins twice as fast as either Kevin or Faith.

"How are you doing that?" Kevin asked, as Addie picked up seven coins at once.

"Doing what?" Addie replied, stashing his coins with one hand while reaching out with the other.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Finally- a challenge where my, ah...talents… can shine!"

* * *

No one spoke for a while, but Kevin and Faith kept sneaking glances at each other.

"How are you?" Kevin finally asked Faith, breaking the quiet spell.

"Good," Addie answered, disinterested. "And you?"

Kevin smacked the back of his head when Faith wasn't looking.

"I'm fine," Faith smiled faintly. "I'm kind of doing a challenge though, so…"

"Yeah," Kevin muttered. "Bad timing."

He looked at his collection of coins. "Oh, crap, I need to catch up-"

 _BEEP!_

Kevin swore loudly as Chris announced, "That's time! And Kevin! Watch your language!"

The three exited, untying the bands holding their legs together.

"Group three's turn!" Chris announced. "Ready?"

Ruby whispered something in Nikki's ear.

"Ready," they both said at the same time.

"Myself as well," Ilyria nodded.

"Go!"

Ruby and Nikki started to hop away in the opposite direction.

"Wha-" Ilyria managed to choke out, being pulled from behind. "What on earth are you doing?"

"You're better than us!" Ruby shouted. "We can't let you pull ahead!"

Then the trio disappeared behind a hill.

"So…" Addie broke the awkward silence. "Will they come back?"

"Don't worry," Chris tapped his airhorn. "You can hear this sucker from space!"

And, indeed, ten minutes later, when he blew the horn, Ruby and Nikki dragged an exhausted Ilyria behind them.

As soon as the Brit was untied, she flopped to the ground.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"We. Never. Speak. Of. This. Again."

* * *

"Finally, it's group four- Abigail, Renee, and Spencer's turn!" Chris said. "Ready?"

"Ready as I can be," Abigail said, her hands still behind her back.

Spencer nodded, as did Renee.

"Go!"

They took off, faster than any other group, and soon they were inside.

"What?" Renee asked, shocked. "It's nearly empty!"

The previous two groups had cleared out the cave, not in its entirety, but to the point where collecting would be difficult. Still, Spencer and Renee crouched down and started to collect.

"Ugh," Abigail said, trying to pick up a coin with her feet, only to have Renee pluck it away and place it in her purse. "This is impossible!"

Spencer obviously said nothing.

"Well," Renee smirked, "I already filled my purse."

The reporter placed the purse over her shoulder and started to place coins in her hat.

Meanwhile, Spencer had pulled out a battery-powered vacuum and was beginning to operate it.

"Ack!" Abigail cried, being pulled backwards after failing to pick up a coin in her mouth.

By an amazing stroke of luck, her hand landed directly in Renee's purse. She hid her astonishment."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"If I can distract Renee, maybe I can steal her coins! But how?..."

* * *

"Hmm," Abigail muttered. "Some elimination last time, huh?"

"Oh, yes," Renee grinned, temporarily slowing down.

"I wonder whose idea it was, to eliminate Connie like that. It was _very_ smart…" Abigail trailed off, giving Spencer a wink.

"It was my idea!" Renee claimed, throwing her hands in the air. "I mean, Luke will tell you that he turned Nikki against Connie, but it was my idea-"

"You turned Nikki against Connie? I wish I could have done that!" Abigail exclaimed, digging her hands greedily into the reporter's purse.

Renee nodded. "It's all part of my plan. Now, Kevin and Nikki don't trust each other. Heck, if we lose, Nikki might just vote for Kevin."

"I see," Abigail said thoughtfully. "That's good for you, then. Also, check your purse."

"What?"

 _BEEP!_

Renee frantically looked at the contents of her purse. "My coins!"

"Sorry," Abigail grinned as they exited the cave and were untied.

"Alright!" Chris announced happily. "We'll tally up the coins. Take a moment to talk."

He left.

Michael approached Arianna. "Have you thought about the offer?"

"Yes, I have," Arianna nodded. "I will not be taking you up on it," she sniffed.

Michael nodded. "In that case, I wish you luck."

He left swiftly.

"Nikki!" Abigail said as she ran over to the shy girl.

"Hi…" Nikki said.

"Nikki, listen to me," Abigail said sternly. "Do not trust Renee. She told me her _entire_ plan in the cave- she lied to you to gain your trust."

Nikki nodded. "I… figured that out… myself, actually…"

Abigail smiled. "Of course you did. You're much smarter than you let on. Well, I should get back. See you next challenge."

Just as she left, Chris returned.

"We have tallied the coins! And, man… it wasn't even close!" He announced. "Like, the first-place team scored higher than the other two _combined."_

"But first, the individual prizes!" Logan said. "The group that scored the most points…"

…

…

…

"Arianna, Michael, and Luke!"

"Awesome," Luke grinned, receiving his letter from home.

Addie turned to Faith and Michael. "I blame you two entirely," he said, but he was grinning.

"Now, our first place team, with a total of 2143 points is…"

…

…

…

"The Wily Wombats! You've got a first-place streak going!"

 _Addie: 1022_

 _Michael: 681_

 _Abigail: 440_

 _Ruby: 0_

 _Wily Wombats Total: 2143_

"Actually, Chris?" Addie raised his hand. "Can I give my letter-rights to someone else?"

"Sure," Chris said as Ilyria perked up.

"Sweet," Addie said. He turned to Kevin. "It's yours, bud. For being such a good competitor today."

"Cool," Kevin grinned as Ilyria frowned.

"Now that you mention it…" Michael said. "I technically won two letters. Can I give one away?"

"I'll allow it," Chris nodded.

"Faith can have it, then," Michael stated. Faith beamed.

Chris surveyed the others, making sure no one else would give their letter away. "Well, then, Abigail, Arianna, Faith, Kevin, Luke, Michael, and Ruby, come receive your letters! You can open them once you get back to your camp."

They all pocketed their prize.

"Now, for the bad news," Chris said ominously. "Daring Dingos. Tepid Turtles. One of you outscored the other by over seven hundred points. And our losing team, going to Verloor Island is…"

…

…

…

"The Tepid Turtles. Dingos, you all live to see another day.'

 _Arianna: 927_

 _Faith: 273_

 _Spencer: 233_

 _Ilyria: 0_

 _Daring Dingos Total: 1433_

...

 _Kevin: 409_

 _Luke: 282_

 _Renee: 14_

 _Nikki: 0_

 _Tepid Turtles Total: 705_

"We're going back again?" Luke pouted. "Darn."

"That's the way it rolls," Chris shrugged. "I'll see you there."

Everyone left.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Why didn't Addie give me the letter?" Ilyria asks, before blushing. "Not that I care…"

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"I could have given Ilyria the letter, but, let's be real, she probably wouldn't have accepted it. She hasn't accepted any other form of apology thus far."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"If you gave a whale a giant toothbrush, would he use it? Just wondering."

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Tepid Turtles (Kevin, Luke, Nikki, Renee)**_

The four remaining player entered the square hut where many contestants had already met their end. There was a silence as they knew that another would be joining their numbers.

Kevin and Nikki sat down on one end of the bench, Renee and Luke on the other. They both quietly discussed the vote.

"What if we…" Luke muttered to Renee.

"Yeah! Good idea!" Renee whispered back. "But what if.."

Meanwhile, Kevin and Nikki were both frowning. Kevin eventually whispered something in her ear, and she shrugged non-comitally.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"I have a very risky plan, which, if it works, will keep me safe for a while… but it has at least a 50/50 chance of backfiring. I've got to try."

* * *

"Well, look what we have here!" Chris snarked as he entered, nodding at the two separate groups.

"Why isn't Logan here?" Kevin asked. "I like him better."

Chris sighed. "Believe me, I want to be butt-naked in a mud bath right now-"

"TMI," Kevin groaned.

"-but my contract states that I have to do at least one elimination ceremony," Chris finished. "So… how's it going?"

Renee looked at him. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you."

"Help me," Chris muttered.

"Usually, we discuss previous events like eliminations or the challenge," Luke supplied.

"Like I pay attention to any of that!" Chris snapped. "Someone say something!"

"Well, I have something to say," Kevin stood up. "May I?"

Chris nodded. "As long as you don't swear. Censoring you has cost us, like more than my last lunch at _Chez Swanky_!"

"Renee, this message is for you," Kevin began.

"Oh, again with the morality baloney?" Renee interrupted.

"No. It is a piece of advice. Nikki and I fully intend to write down Luke's name tonight," Kevin said.

"Oh, nut buckets," Luke cursed.

"Not for the reason you think," Kevin continued. "There will be a revote, in which nothing will change. And then, a tiebreaker."

"I am aware of the rules," Renee snapped.

"Well, how do you like your chances against either myself or Nikki?: Kein asked. "Think about it. I edge you out slightly in the physical category and immensely in the mental category. And Nikki is surprisingly strong and smart. Do you really want to risk it?"

Subconsciously, she shook her head no.

"Then, join us in voting for Luke tonight," Kevin finished.

Luke's eyes widened.

So did Renee's.

"That's all I have to say," Kevin finished. He turned to Chris. "Now, we usually vote in alphabetical order."

Chris nodded. "Go ahead and do that then. Kevin is up first."

Kevin exhaled and went to the hut to vote. "Will they or won't they? That is the question of the hour."

Luke went after him. "Renee wouldn't flip on me… right?"

Nikki was next. She silently wrote a name down.

Renee was last. "I am still staying on the original course of action. My vote goes to Kevin."

She left and sat down.

"Now what?" Chris asked, confused.

Luke stood up. "If anyone has an advantage and would like to play it, do so now."

He sat down, the immediately stood up again.

Nikki gasped.

"Just kidding," Luke sat down again.

"Well, I'm not," Renee stood. "I would like to play this extra vote."

"Very well," Chris nodded. "Do it."

Renee left for the hut to cast a vote.

"Hmm… maybe I should take what Kevin said into consideration?" she paused, pensively. Then she wrote down a name.

The she returned.

"Now you tally the votes," Kevin said, "Usually rearranging them so when you read them it causes more suspense."

"Sure thing," Chris gave them all finger pistols before leaving.

"What a buffoon," Renee muttered.

"For once, I agree," Kevin added.

Chris came back. "And I just read them?"

"Slowly, yes," Kevin said.

Chris took the first piece of paper. "Well, the first vote is for…"

"...Kevin."

Kevin nodded gravely.

"Next… Renee."

"Wait, me?" Renee asked. Luke looked at the sky unsuspiciously.

"The third vote is for… Kevini."

"Oh no…" Kevin muttered.

"And the fourth… Renee."

Renee shook her head. "Nice try, though."

Chris read the last vote. "The next person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala, placing… uh, thirteenth, I think?... is…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Renee," Chris finally said, turning over the last vote so everyone could see.

"What?!" Renee stood up. "Luke, you little liar!"

Luke shrugged.

"We did it!" Kevin cheered, high-fiving with Nikki. "We're golden!"

"Sorry, Renee, them's the breaks. The exit is that way," Chris said.

Renee gave Luke one last reproachful look. The she left the ceremony, and the competition.

Chris turned to the camera. "With Kevin and Nikki flying high, will Luke be able to come back from this hurdle?"

He waited for someone to back him up. No one was there.

"Oh, yeah..." he awkwardly continued. "Will Abigail beat the curse? And will Faith and Ilyria ever agree on something? Find out on…"

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"The Curse of K'wala!"

* * *

Final Confessional: Madeline- 14th Place

 _While Madeline was unable to make a proper confessional, she expressed her disappointment in her low placing and hopes to never return to 'that horrible hellhole'._

* * *

 _After much encouragement, Madeline has decided to pass her Game Changer on to 'some random player'._

 _After an unbiased draw, Addie has received the Game Changer._

* * *

Final Confessional: Renee- 13th Place

"I can't believe I let a moron like Luke ruin my entire game! I hope he gets what's coming to him. This has been Renee Delaney, ace reporter, signing off."

* * *

 ** _The Votes:_**

 _Kevin voted for… Renee_

 _Luke voted for… Renee_

 _Nikki voted for… Renee_

 _Renee voted for… Kevin_

 _Renee voted for… Kevin (Extra Vote)_

 **So… a whole heck of a lot happened there! Kevin's hidden plot with Nikki that will soon be revealed, Ilyria getting all agent-y, Arianna distancing herself from Drew, a medical evacuation, a random cameo, a new alliance, and, to top it all off, Luke betrayed another friend! Man, that's a lot.**

 **To focus on the eliminations:**

 **Madeline- I could have easily justified her getting voted out, but carrying her 'traitors' plot for another episode or two would have been annoying, so instead, she tries to prove herself, and fails massively. Fun stuff!**

 **Renee- To be fair, Renee was originally the second elimination, so 13th isn't bad. But still, she had a habit of revealing too much, too soon, to the wrong people, which ultimately was her downfall. It also helps to establish Luke's villain cred.**

 **Let me know what you thought, what you want, what you like, what you hate, anything really, in the reviews! I'll address you at the beginning of the next chapter!**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipient: Abigail**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **Takk skal du ha!**


	9. Ep8: The Ant and The Grasshopper

**Longest Chapter Yet!**

 **To address the reviews:**

 **Theawesomedragonhunter- I'm glad you had so much to say! To address your comments/concerns: Madeline, though I didn't want to make it obvious, tripped and fell onto her arm- that's why she was clutching it. Renee's elimination was predictable, but she will have multiple effects on her team. Abigail as the curse recipient seemed like the obvious choice, honestly, to counteract her advantage in the 2-2 split of the Wombats. Arianna will have her plotline developed much further tonight, believe you me, as will Kevin and Nikki. Spencer has fans? Say what? Honestly, not everyone's liked him well, but I'm glad you do. On the Turtles… well, you'll have to read on for that one. Ilyria's storyline/background is a little weak in my opinion too, but it will be strengthened this chapter.**

 **Obikinoah- Beck (and Kayla, for that matter) will have a much larger role in… well, not this chapter, but definitely the next two/three. Here's a hint: If he's acting OOC, trust me, I have a bigger plan for him. A MUCH bigger plan.**

 **Beastboycoolman15- Hopefully you'll get your wish with a dialogue heavy challenge tonight!**

 **JustTheClassicalGirl: Yes, Madeline was being a spoiled princess. Love can do funny things, that's all I'm saying. I didn't really mean to be so vague about her medevac, so, to explain, she tripped and fell onto her arm, breaking it. The 'horrible hellhole' she was talking about was the island in general. If you don't like Drew and Arianna, you're either going to love or hate this 'chappie'. Nikki isn't out of the woods yet, as in this and the next couple chapters information could be revealed that will change the whole dynamic. You'll see!**

 **Now, before you read, I ask you: What's the one thing you wouldn't be expecting in this chapter?**

 **Enjoy.**

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _After Connie's elimination, Nikki didn't know who to trust, especially with Luke feeding her lies through Renee. Ilyria, shockingly enough, has issues trusting people, and such was the case when she and Faith couldn't agree on who to eliminate in the case of a loss. After discovering her entire team was planning to vote her out, Madeline ran away, but tripped, fell, and had to be evacuated. Without her, the other Wombats flourished, cruising to the easiest first place victory thus far and sending the Turtles to their second straight elimination. Kevin and Nikki decided to work together to try and trick Renee. She didn't fall for it- but Luke did, and he ended up betraying his second friend in a row, leaving Renee furious- and eliminated._

 _Twelve are still treading water! Who will sink this time on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 10_

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Kevin, Luke, Nikki**_

After the Verloor Island Conclave, the trio was now walking back to their camp.

" _Just the three of us~_ " Luke sang. " _We can make it if we try!_ "

"Oh my god, shut up already!" Kevin snarled. "Isn't it bad enough that you're going home next?"

Luke gasped. "GASP! But I thought we were friends!"

He looked att Nikki for support, but the shy girl just turned her head away.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Let me spell it out for you. We, being Nikki and I, just got you to vote out your ally, being Renee. Now we, being Nikki and I, are coming after you next."

Luke frowned. "Well, that stinks."

Kevin shrugged. "That's your fault, not ours. Honestly, I would throw the next challenge and vote you out, but that would mean Lana and I couldn't lose another one until the merge."

"What?" Luke scratched his head, confused. "Did you say-"

Kevin blinked. " _I said_ , that would mean Nikki and I can't lose another one until the merge."

"No, you didn't," Luke taunted playfully.

"Yes, I did," Kevin argued.

"No, you didn't!" Luke chuckled.

"Yes, I did!" Kevin insisted. "Nikki, what did I say?"

Nikki nervously looked back and forth to each boy. "Um… you said 'Lana'."

"Of course I did," Kevin muttered under his breath. "Mistake, that's all."

Luke leaped over to the writer so their faces was directly beside each other. "Who's Lana, huh?"

"No one," Kevin replied, a little too quickly.

"Babysitter?" Luke inquired. "Mentor? Friend? Perhaps even your girl-"

"STOP!" Kevin shouted. He cupped his hands over his ears and ran away.

"Kevin!..." Nikki called. She shot Luke a nasty look before following after him.

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"Now, _Nikki's_ giving me looks? I'm in worse trouble than I thought. But, if I can exploit Kevin's weakness, I might just be able to turn those two besties against each other. It's my only hope."

He sighs for a moment, breaking character, but remembers that the cameras are still on and puffs out his chest ridiculously.

* * *

"Kevin!" Nikki called as Kevin began to slow. She caught up with the writer.

Kevin said nothing, but sat on a rock and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Kevin-" Nikki began to say.

"No, please, I don't want to answer any questions right now, Niks. Just leave me alone."

"Kevin-" Nikki tried again.

Kevin shook his head. "I know you're bursting with curiosity, but-"

"Kevin, I understand," Nikki said softly, before sitting down beside him. "You don't have to say anything."

Kevin glanced over at her, the shy girl's eyes wide with sympathy.

"Do you trust me?" Nikki asked.

"Yes." Kevin hesitated. "I think the real question is, how much do _you_ trust me."

Nikki opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Kevin shrugged. "It's fine. You don't have to. I'm not a trustworthy guy, I know. But do you trust me more than Luke?"

"I do," Nikki agreed.

"Then please, _please_ stay away from him. He already fooled you once, with the Connie vote. Let's not make this a habit," Kevin stood up. "Heh. I suppose there's no need to discuss the vote."

Kevin left. Nikki sat where she was for a while more. "...I suppose not…"

Just then, Luke came along and spotted the girl. "Nikki!"

Nikki's eyes widened and tried to leave, but Luke cornered her and she was forced to remain where she was.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," Nikki blurted. She quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"Has Dictator Kevin forbid you from it?" Luke raised an eyebrow. "You can do what you want, girl."

Nikki shook her head.

Luke frowned. "Well, how about you at least listen?"

Upon seeing her expression, he added, "Hey. I know I'm going home of we lose. I'm trying to enjoy my last few days here, you know? What's a casual conversation among friends going to do?"

Nikki slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. "No strategy talk," she warned.

Luke chuckled. "A week ago you wouldn't have thought of giving me orders. You're doing so well."

"Thanks, I guess…" Nikki wouldn't meet his eyes.

Luke laughed. "Lighten up a smidge. I want to tell you a story."

"A story?" Nikki raised an eyebrow a quarter of an inch. "Aren't we a little old for that?"

"Please?" Luke pouted. "It's short. You'll like it. My dad used to tell me it before he… well, you know…"

Luke looked downwards.

Nikki's expression turned sympathetic. "Okay, I'll listen."

Luke smiled weakly."Okay, here goes.

"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. It was your average, everyday kingdom, with one exception- it was run and ruled entirely by bugs."

"Bugs?" Nikki interjected.

"Bugs," Luke confirmed. "The entire kingdom was run by the queen, a wasp named Sarah. Now, Queen Sarah was not a kind queen- she taxed the villagers heavily, forcing them to give her as much food as they could muster up, leaving the commoners to go sometimes days without food or drink. All of this excess food was hoarded in the dungeons. Queen Sarah left her most trusted advisor to guard these stores- Wyatt the ant. Wyatt enjoyed needlepoint and chocolate croissants."

"What does that have to do with the story?" Nikki asked.

"Nothing," Luke admitted. "But my dad always left that detail in."

Nikki nodded.

"Wyatt was just leaving his shift for the night, to return to his home, when he was approached by a haggard grasshopper.

'Are you the guard?' the grasshopper asked wearily.

'Yes,' Wyatt replied, for he was not one to lie.

'Then you must help,' the grasshopper insisted. 'There is a cold winter coming. Without the food that Queen Sarah has seized, many will starve. You must help me smuggle food from the palace into a private store that the commoners will have access to.'

Wyatt the ant agreed; he knew how important food was to the people. So, over the next few months, after every shift, he would silently enter the vault, grab a box of food, and bring it into the grasshopper's den, where it was stored. It went unnoticed- Queen Sarah had far too much to keep track of. Over these few months, Wyatt and the grasshopper became the closest of friends."

Luke paused. "Are you ready for this last part? It's a bit of a plot twist."

Nikki nodded eagerly- she was transfixed by his words.

"Soon, winter was mere weeks away. Already the villagers were struggling for food. So Wyatt the ant went to the grasshopper.

'It's time,' Wyatt said happily, knowing he had saved so many bugs.

'Very well,' the grasshopper said and-"

Luke frowned. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes," Nikki pleaded.

"-and he _ate_ Wyatt. The end."

"What?" Nikki stood up. "What happened to the villagers?"

"Starved," Luke stood up and stretched. "Grasshopper kept everything for himself and left his friend to take the fall."

"But- that's a horrible way to end a story!" Nikki protested.

"That's the way life goes, sometimes," Luke reasoned. "The one who seems like your closest friend could end up being your downfall. I'm going to get some rest- it's been a long day."

Luke departed, leaving a dumbfounded Nikki.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"I just had the craziest thought- what if Kevin is planning to _eat_ me?... Figuratively, I mean. But was Renee right when she said that Kevin was manipulating me? Who do I trust?"

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"And the seeds of doubt are planted."

* * *

Kevin sat alone, reading a book by firelight.

"Should have brought more reading material," Kevin sighed. "One can only take so much trashy romance. God, I hope I don't write like this."

"I kind of doubt you will," Luke said, popping up behind him. Kevin flinched so violently his book went flying into the brush.

"I REALLY WISH YOU'D STOP DOING THAT!" Kevin roared, clutching his chest.

"Ooh," Luke waved his hands. "Don't pull a Kevin on me."

"Pull a what?" Kevin was hooked.

"You know, pull a Kevin. That's when someone angers you, and you shout at them. They hinder your gameplay, and you shout at them. They mildly inconvenience you, and-"

"I don't shout at people!" Kevin shouted.

"Yeah, you do," Luke said calmly. "No wonder Lana left you."

Kevin didn't bat an eye. "She didn't."

"Not a girlfriend, eh?" Luke asked. "Well, that narrows down my list. Care to elaborate?"

Kevin, sensing his mistake, shook his head. "You won't get any more information out of me, and there's no way you'll convince me to vote for Nikki!"

"Wasn't planning on it- she's voting for you."

"What?!" Kevin said, bewildered. "She wouldn't- she couldn't-" he froze.

Then he burst out laughing. "Oh, this is another trick! You almost got me- I was on the verge of-"

"Pulling a Kevin on Nikki?" Luke supplied.

"Yes," Kevin admitted, still smiling. "You're a good actor, but not good enough! I won't fall prey to your machiavellian ways!"

Luke gasped, offended. "OFFENDED GASP! I am not machiavellian!"

"You have no idea what machiavellian means, do you," Kevin rolled his eyes, humor gone.

"Of course I do," Luke snapped back. "So butt out."

"Gladly," Kevin stood up and went to retrieve his book.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Luke's a little scary. He almost fooled _me_ with his acting- imagine what would've happened had I not told Nikki to stay away from him! I can't imagine."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

Luke is flipping through a dictionary. "Machiavellian… M… a… k… y…"

* * *

 _Day 11_

* * *

 _ **Daring Dingos: Arianna, Drew, Faith, Ilyria, Spencer**_

"Wakey wakey," Faith's face appeared on the screen. The camera zoomed out quickly, revealing that it was, in fact, Ilyria who was being awakened.

Ilyria groaned blearily.

"Come on," Faith insisted.

"I'm not a morning person," Ilyria slowly sat up.

"So I gathered," Faith snorted faintly with laughter. "But it's our turn for breakfast."

"Already?" Ilyria replied. "I was just on Batwatch last night."

"Better get used to it," Faith stood. "We're going to be shuffling duties more an more once the others are voted off."

Ilyria also stood, threw on a tee-shirt over her (British flag themed) pajamas, and tied her hair back in its customary bun. "You're right. Have you thought any on how we're going to skin that cat?"

"Well," Faith looked pensive as the two walked over to the fire. "I noticed some tension between Arianna and Drew last night. Maybe our best bet is turning them against each other."

"Have each one vote for the opposite, and we decide who goes," Ilyria summarized. "We have one tape-faced issue, however."

Faith shrugged as she began to pour rice into a makeshift coconut bowl. "If Spencer's smart, he'll vote with us."

"Not for Arianna though," Ilyria countered. "He really never would."

"True," Faith scratched her chin as her alliance-mate set some water over the fire. "Maybe we should target Spencer first. Arianna wouldn't vote for him, but Drew would. Then Arianna second if we lost again, and Drew if we lost again. Even if we don't, I don't think he'd be a social threat in the merge, since he has a lot of enemies."

Ilyria coughed. "Not a social threat, but he's strong and cunning. He could easily win immunity until he was in a safe position."

"True, but I don't think every challenge will play to his strengths. As soon as he lost, the others would vote him out. I think keeping Drew's the safest path of resistance."

"And if we only lose once?" Ilyria wondered aloud.

"..." Faith said nothing as she poured the hot water over the rice. "Even as a duo, they couldn't make it far, unless they aligned with another group, which is doubtful."

"Another thought" Ilyria grabbed a small vial of salt, "What if we can't turn the lovebirds against each other?"

"We go to a tiebreaker, I guess," Faith supposed. "I'm pretty confident in us, though. Oh, hey, did you fix that watch?"

"...No," Ilyria admitted. "Want to have a go?"

Faith smiled. "Sure. I'm sure I've mentioned, but I'm good with tech."

"I have to stress-"

"No peeking, I know," Faith said. "I might be able to make all of your apps password protected, too, in case this happens again."

"Yeah, that'd be fine," Ilyria, after doling out the rice into individual portions, removed her watch and handed it over.

"Ooh," Faith admired it. "Fancy. Must be a top model."

"It works," Ilyria said with a small smile. "And Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," Ilyria said curtly.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"I feel like I can trust Faith at this point. She's one of the rare ones, I tell you. I haven't had a friend like her in some time. Heh, the last friend I had was before I joined the agency, and changed my name."

She pauses. "Did I mention I had to change my name? Heck, I'm even using a fake name for the competition. Security, you know. I wouldn't want to have to mind-wipe anyone. Except for maybe Drew…"

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"I'll admit I'm a little curious, but I'd never betray Ilyria's trust by looking through her private info. I'm no snoop. Honestly, I'm just glad we agreed on a target, although I feel a little bad- Spencer's the only nice one on the team, other than Ilyria."

* * *

"Brekky," Ilyria called, waking the other three players in the vicinity.

"M'kay," Drew shouted drowsily. "Give us a min'."

Drew, Arianna, and Spencer slowly began to wake.

"Hey, Ari," Drew pined innocently. "Could you step out for a moment? We men gotta change."

"Of course…" Arianna said hesitantly, before exiting. "Don't come looking, because I'll be changing too."

Arianna left, holding her clothes.

As soon as she was gone, Drew wheeled around to Spencer.

"I don't know what you've been doin' with Arianna," Drew breathed venomously. "But you'd better leave her alone, ya hear me?"

Spencer chuckled silently and rolled his eyes.

" _Ya hear me?_ " Drew approached Spencer and slammed him against the cavern wall. Spencer now looked fearful. "If you to so much as sit beside each other, I'll get your scrawny freak butt out of here like a cannon shot! Are we clear?"

Spencer, fearful, nodded.

"Now get changed. I don't want anyone to think I was threatening' you."

Spencer raised a finger as if he was going to say, _But you were,_ but thought better of it. He swiftly dressed, and the two boys exited.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"That's the way to take care of things! No more snarkin' around for Drew. If I can keep Spencer on his toes, it's all better for me."

* * *

Spencer and Drew joined Faith and Ilyria at the fire. A moment later, Arianna came as well, making the entire team present.

"What's that?" Arianna pointed to the watch that Faith was tinkering with.

"Mine," Ilyria raised a hand. "She's fixing it for me, or trying to, at any rate."

"Yep," Faith said, concentrated.

"Bo-ring," Drew smirked. "What good's a stupid watch?"

Ilyria thought about it. "It can make calls, monitor my vitals, send out an emergency signal that can be retrieved up to seventy kilometers away, remind me when I need to take my medication, and electricity can be siphoned off of it to power other electrical devices."

"Also, it tells the time," she added as an afterthought.

Drew marveled at the device. "You're tellin' me that little sucker can do all that?"

"Perks," Ilyria said simply.

"E-E-Excuse me," said a new voice, weak and timid.

Everyone turned around. Spencer, with his tape removed and looking awfully shy, gave a timid wave. "H-Hi."

" _Spencer?!_ " Everyone said.

"U-Um," Spencer began. His voice was unusually high. "I-I-I just thought I'd l-let you know that D-D-Drew assaulted me in the c-c-cave back there, and threatened m-me so that I wouldn't t-t-t-talk to Arianna again. That's all."

He quickly replaced his tape and looked away.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Daring Dingos

"I-I-I don't like to t-t-talk much, because of my stutter. B-b-but that had t-to be said. I don't p-plan on speaking again."

* * *

"He's lying!" Drew protested weakly, but no one believed him.

"Drew," Arianna stated. "What. The. Hell."

"I-"

"No!" Arianna cut him off. "You keep doing this to me! We're supposed to be _dating_! That doesn't mean you own me! That doesn't mean you can go around threatening people who I also talk to! I'm not a child! Hell, I'm older than you! I can make my own decisions without your own approval or consent!"

"Ari-"

"Even the people in _juvie_ never stooped this low! I cannot believe you. And that's why, Drew Hanson…"

"...I'm breaking up with you," Arianna finished softly.

Drew stopped in his tracks, appalled. "You're. Breakin' up. With _me_?"

He spun around to Spencer. "This is your fault, you little weasel freak! You cost me everythin'! And now, I'm going to repay the favor!"

Drew launched himself at Spencer, but Ilyria stepped forward, blocking him.

"Lemme at him!" Drew howled.

"Yeah… not happening," Ilyria glowered. "You already have Arianna and Spencer writing your name down. Keep it up and I won't hesitate to be your third."

Drew froze, before standing up. "You're all sick. I hate you."

He left.

There was a pause.

"So, that just happened…" Faith said. She glanced over at Arianna' who had tears running down her face. "I think Ilyria and I are done, right?"

"Yep," Ilyria replied, sensing the inference. "We'll leave you be."

They left.

"I think a change of plans is in order," Faith whispered. Ilyria nodded.

The scene moved back to where Arianna and Spencer sat.

"...That was really brave of you," Arianna said.

Spencer shrugged. He pointed to the direction where Drew had stormed off, and then mimed writing on a piece of paper.

"Oh, I don't know if I'm ready to write his name down yet…" Arianna admitted honestly. "I want to fix _us_ first."

Spencer nodded gravely.

Arianna leaned her head on his shoulder, and the two stared out into the trees.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"That was tough… but I did what was right. Drew had it coming. He can't treat women like property. The thing is... I still think we can make things right."

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"Thanks to the weasel, that whole blasted ordeal backfired. I don't think I'm gonna make it out of the next vote."

He pauses, and then grins.

"Say, that gives me an idea. I'm not out yet!"

Drew dashes out of the confessional, laughing.

* * *

 _Night 11_

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Abigail, Addie, Michael, Ruby**_

"Ready guys?" Abigail whispered to Addie and Ruby.

Ruby nodded. Addie snickered. The trio was standing just behind a tree, on the other side of which Michael was reading.

"You have the wild figs?" Abigail confirmed with Addie.

"Yes, ma'am," Addie nodded.

"And you have the sparkler?" Ruby asked Abigail.

Abigail waved a small stick. "Yes, thanks to Spencer."

"On three," Addie muttered. "One… Two… Three!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~" They all sang as they entered the clearing. Michael startled and dropped what he was reading- a small piece of paper.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~" They repeated. Abigail struck a match and lit the sparkler.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MICHAEL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" They finished. Addie offered the figs up.

They waited expectantly. Michael sat like a stone.

"What's so happy about it?" He spat, before standing up and leaving. His paper was left, forgotten on the ground.

There was an odd quiet, broken only by the hissing of the sparkler.

"...Um…" Addie said. "Should we find him?"

"I'll go," Ruby said. "...No offense, but I think he trusts me the most."

Abigail looked considerably annoyed. "I worked hard for- ow! Hot sparkler!" She dropped the stick.

"Well, I'm going to eat these figs, because I worked hard for them. Abigail, shall we?" Addie proffered his arm to the de facto leader.

Abigail linked arms with him and they walked off, laughing.

Ruby was alone in the clearing. "Hmm…"

Slowly, she approached the paper which Michael had been reading. Curious, she sat down and began to read.

" _Dear Michael,_ " she read. " _We do not accept freaks such as you at Miss Grimmie's Boys' Orphanage. We expect you to leave the day of your return. However, due to budget cuts, we must keep your deposit to stay out of debt. Thank you for your cooperation._ "

"Oh my god…" She dropped the letter. "Michael? Michael!"

She dashed off into the woods to find him.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"Michael's an orphan? That explains so much! And he got kicked out for coming out on the show…! And they stole his money too! No wonder he's so depressed!"

* * *

"Mm!" Abigail threw her head back, savoring the figs. "We should use these as bargaining chips."

Addie laughed. "Yeah, but who'd be dumb enough to trade their vote for a fig, as good as they are?"

Abigail shrugged. "Renee, maybe."

"Possibly Luke," Addie thought. "And Connor, if he was still in…"

"Speaking of Luke, I thought I'd mention that he got a second free vote during the team swap."

Addie arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you know?"

Abigail smiled, before pulling out a piece of paper. "I know… because I got one too."

"I see," Addie's brow furrowed in concentration. Well, now we know there's not going to be a tied vote, that's for sure. We're golden if we lose."

"Hold on," Abigail raised a hand. "We can't be sure of anything if we lose, because of my curse. What if one or even both of my votes is blocked?"

"Well…" Addie smirked.

"Yes?" Abigail asked, confused.

Addie's smirk dropped off his face. "Oh… Nothing. I was just thinking about how nice an extra vote would be."

"Hm…" Abigail frowned.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Truthfully, I'm hesitant to tell Abigail about… this."

He pulls out a Game Changer.

"Madeline gifted this to me after her untimely elimination. It can block two votes, if it's used before the top eight, which I'm assuming is the merge. Now, I have to consider, we might only go to the Conclave once before the top eight. In that case, I think I'd have to eliminate the biggest threat.

...And as it stands, that person is Abigail."

* * *

"So…" Addie was eager to change the subject. "What can we do?"

"I suppose we could try and split the vote," Abigail mused. "Make Ruby vote for Michael, and Michael for Ruby. Would they?"

"Doubtful. Unless…" Adde trailed off, and smirked once again.

"You sure do like suspense, don't you," Abigail rolled her eyes and chuckled. "What do you have in mind? And you'd better not fake me out again."

"No need to. What if we figure out who the Dingo Duo is voting for, and then we pretend like we're blindsiding the other person, but only tell Ruby? We'd split their votes."

Abigail understood. "So, if I was the target, I'd tell her we're planning to vote out you. Then she'd vote for you, Michael would vote for me, and our two votes would be the deciding ones."

"Exactly," Addie affirmed with a wink. "Of course, that's just the backup plan. As long as your votes don't get blocked, or as long as we can split their votes, we'll be fine."

"Great," Abigail smiled. Then she frowned. "It's kind of weird. You're meeting all of these amazing people, and yet you have to try and manipulate and lie to them, even if they respect you or you respect them."

"It's just the game. You can't take things personally, 'cause we all know what's at stake."

"Yeah, I suppose," Abigail still looked distraught. "At least I can say that I'm pretty sure I won't be going home."

She left.

"You'd be surprised…" Addie murmured into the darkness.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"Is it bad that I'm feeling so confident? Am I getting cocky or is it just that I'm in such a good position? I mean, one alliance with Kevin and Nikki, and one alliance with Addie- if I combine them at the merge, that could be forty to fifty percent of the players left. That is, if Kevin and Nikki are doing okay- I'm a little nervous for them up against Luke and Renee. But other than that, I'm set."

* * *

"Michael!..." Ruby kept calling as she ran through the forest. "Please!... We need to talk!..."

Michael dropped down from a tree in front of Ruby, making her shriek.

"Why would you do that?" She asked.

"I didn't want to be found by anyone other than you, after I realized I left my letter at the campsite," Michael muttered. "Do they all know?"

"No, I swear, I was the only one who found it!" Ruby half pleaded.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's good. So you know?"

"Yes," Ruby said. "I'm sorry for reading it."

"Water under the bridge," he waved her concerns away.

"Oh, good," Ruby sighed.

"Welp," Michael looked up at the cliff. "I'm going to go jump off the cliff, if you want to see me off."

"Oh, okay," Ruby nodded. Then her brain caught up. "Wait, what?! But you could-"

"Die," Michael finished for her. "Didn't I make that clear?"

"You're going to- but- why?" Ruby finally asked.

Michael started to walk. "Well, I'm dying anyway, what's a few months going to change?"

"Dying? Months? Slow down," Ruby panted.

"In my walking speed or in my revelation of facts?" The corner of Michael's mouth rose.

"Both!" Ruby said. The two stopped walking. "First of all- you're dying in a few months?"

"Heart failure. Quite tragic really. The money that was supposed to go towards my surgery was used up in the deposit that my grandparents gave the orphanage after my parents died three months ago. But, the orphanage stole my money after the kicked me out. So, I'm dying. Next?"

"Your parents died? Why didn't your grandparents take you in?"

Michael started to walk again. "Car crash. And my grandparents weren't fit to take care of a child. Both of them have Alzheimer's. I was lucky that they even put me in an orphanage for as long as I did."

Ruby was silent. "Michael… I'm so sorry."

Michael shrugged. "Whatever. There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do."

"But you can't just jump off a cliff?"

"You're not to blame," Michael said as they neared the edge of the cliff. "Only two people are: Miss Grimmie and John."

Ruby paused. "...John?"

"That blasted guitarist was so good-looking I came out on live TV for him, and lost my home and my money because of it," Michael chuckled. "Is that all? You probably should go- you might not want to see this."

"Michael, wait!" Ruby grabbed his hand. Michael pulled it away. "There's still hope! Maybe- Maybe-"

"Maybe some millionaire will hear my story and want to adopt me? Please. Life's not like that," he scoffed.

"There's another option," Ruby said quietly.

"Oh?" Michael grinned darkly. "And that is…"

"Win!" Ruby threw her hands in the air. "Win the million dollars and use it for your surgery!"

Michael thought about it. "It won't happen. I'm already way behind, socially, and I can't win challenges, in the merge."

"You have to try, though. I'll help you," Ruby suddenly offered.

Michael thought about it. "You'd be in an alliance with me?"

"Yes, and I'd try to get others as well. I bet Faith would, and Nikki too, if she knew all about this-"

"Hold on," Michael raised a hand. "Others can't know about this. It would be unfair, and I'm sure someone wouldn't believe us, and they'd start to spread doubt, which would hurt our chances long-term."

Ruby smiled. "But you'll still align with me?"

Michael hesitated. "...Can you swear your unfailing loyalty to me? Can you swear to trust and go along with my decisions, even if you don't personally agree? Can you swear that if it's a choice between you or me going home, you'd pick yourself?"

Ruby's eyes widened.

"I knew it," Michael spat. He turned to face the ocean.

"Wait!" Ruby pulled him back. "If it meant saving your life, I'd sacrifice my own game ten times," Ruby promised. "Please."

"...Fine," Michael eventually said. He turned right back around. "Who are we voting out first?"

"Let's get away from this cliff before we discuss it," Ruby said.

"Very well."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"Did I literally just save Michael's life? It figures, though- I'm trying to prove that I can be independent, and I'm the servant in both alliances I've partaken in… No. I can't think like that. I have to focus because Michael is worth giving up a million dollars for."

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"And that, ladies and gents, was undoubtedly the worst birthday I've ever had."

* * *

"So… what are we going to do if we lose?" Ruby asked.

"I have an idea," Michael replied, munching on a fig.

* * *

 _Day 12_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: K'wala Dock**_

"Hello, final twelve!" Not Chris, but Beck greeted. Kayla stood beside him, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

The three teams assembled.

"As you can see, Renee was eliminated last night, placing thirteenth!" Kayla said brightly.

Abigail visibly exhaled.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"Good. I was worrying over nothing- Kevin and Nikki are safe. I knew they'd be fine without me."

* * *

Ilyria, however, looked perturbed.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Renee was in an alliance with me and Luke. And frankly, she was the only thing keeping me from refusing to work with him. Now I either have to stick with him or drop him. Oh, well. Maybe he'll be voted out if the Turtles lose again.

* * *

"First of all, you're probably wondering why it's us today and not Chris or Logan," Beck stated. "Well, I'd like to tell you they finally gave us a true chance, but the truth is they both have head colds."

Everyone laughed.

"But enough about that. Let's get to the challenge!" Kayla cheered.

"Yeah!" Luke pumped a fist. Everyone else was somewhere on the scale of mildly annoyed (Faith) to ticked off (Kevin).

"Since the last few challenges have been mostly physical," Beck said in his signature Texan accent. "This challenge is purely mental. For the challenge, we're dividing you into duos- one member of each team per duo. Using information on your applications, we've devised one question for each of you. Your duo partner will have to answer correctly in order to earn a point for your team. The team with the most points will win immunity.."

"Oh!" Kayla squealed. "Tepid Turtles, we're giving you guys a break. So, for this challenge, Kevin will be an honorary Dingo, while Luke and Nikki will be honorary Wombats! How cool is that!"

Kevin stood with the Daring Dingos, while Luke and Nikki stood with the Wily Wombats.

"Yep," Beck affirmed. "You'll be helping out the other teams. However, if they lose, you guys won't be going to elimination."

"Any questions?" Kayla chirped.

"Do Kevin, Nikki and I have to help the team we're assigned to?" Luke raised his hand.

"Yes," Beck said. "I don't want to be that guy, but if you don't help, we'll have to eliminate you on the spot."

"Shoot," Luke snapped his fingers.

"Anyone else?"

Ilyria raised her hand. "Will confessional footage be used?"

Beck shook his head. "As far as I know, I don't think anyone's even seen the confessionals yet. Is that all? Then we'll divide you into teams."

"One more thing!" Kayla interjected. "Abigail will not have an opportunity to answer her opponent's question, because of the curse."

"Figures," Abigail sighed.

"Listen up for the pairings!" Beck called. "They are:

 _Round Number:Wily Wombats Team Member vs. Daring Dingos Team Member_

 _1: Abigail vs Arianna_

 _2: Addie vs Drew_

 _3: (Luke) vs Faith_

 _4: Michael vs Ilyria_

 _5: (Nikki) vs (Kevin)_

 _6: Ruby vs Spencer_

 _(Parentheses denote an honorary team member)_

"Abigail and Arianna, step up," Beck announced. "Remember, Abigail, you have no opportunity to get a point, so, Arianna will only answer your question this round."

Abigail and Arianna sat down on the designated chairs.

 _Round 1_

Kayla looked at her clipboard. "Arianna… what is Abigail's last name?"

Arianna thought about the question.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"That's a surprisingly easy question… but I don't remember. She mentioned it once. I think it sounded similar to my last name, Rodriguez…?"

* * *

"Your guess," Beck prompted.

"Hernandez," Arianna guessed.

...

"Incorrect," Abigail replied. She turned around a whiteboard to reveal the name written on it: _Lopez._ "You were close, though."

"Close only counts in horseshoes and infectious diseases," Arianna muttered as the two stood up and re-joined their teams.

"Zero-Zero at the end of one, let's see if Addie or Drew can change it!" Beck said. "Step up, boys."

 _Round 2_

"Addie, your question is…" Beck paused. "What is Drew's sexual orientation?"

There was an awkward silence.

"I'd just like to add that I didn't make up the questions," Beck added nervously.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"All awkwardness aside, I'm pretty sure that's a trick question… But it might not have come up unless it was irregular from the rest of us… hm…"

* * *

"The guess?" Kayla prompted.

"Ah… Bisexual…?" Addie said after some hesitation.

Drew revealed the whiteboard, which read…

…

... _Bisexual._

"And that's a point for the Wily Wombats! Let's see if Drew can match."

"Let's hope so," Drew cracked his neck, and his knuckles.

"Your question…" Kayla read. "What is Addie's home country?"

"Oh, come on," Drew complained.

"Really? I would have thought it easy," Addie taunted lightly.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"That's 'cause you freakin' _live_ there!"

* * *

"...Germany," Drew decided firmly.

"That's…" Beck started.

…

…"Correct, surprisingly," Addie finished for him, flipping over his whiteboard, which read _Germany._

"A point for the both of you!" Kayla cheered. "Next up, can we have… Luke and Faith!"

"Woo!" Luke said. "Honorary Wombat, coming through! He paraded down to his chair, before sitting down.

"Glad to see your enthusiasm," Kayla smiled. "Because you're up first!"

"Good luck," Faith murmured.

Kayla read off her clipboard. "How many siblings does Faith have?"

Luke looked lost in thought.

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Honorary Wily Wombat

"Faith is a leader, which makes me think she's had experience commanding a group of people. But she's also rather conservative… I'll stay on the safe side."

* * *

"One," Luke said proudly.

Faith started cracking up.

"What?" Luke wondered. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," Faith said, "It's just…" She rotated her board, written on which was…

…

…" _ELEVEN?!_ " Luke gasped. "GASP!"

"No points there, clearly," Beck chuckled. "Maybe Faith can get her team ahead with the next question."

"Hopefully," Faith nodded.

"Let's see… How many Pinstachat followers does Luke have? You have to be within one hundred for this to count."

Faith scratched her chin.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"Luke seems like the type to have a _lot_ of friends, and he probably has a bunch of strangers following him. I'm guessing high."

* * *

"Five hundred fifty," Faith smiled confidently.

Luke said nothing as he flipped his whiteboard, which had a large number written on it.

…

... _Approx. 2200,_ it read.

Luke smirked. "I think you're forgetting that my mom's famous."

Faith's eyes widened."...Crap."

"So, with both players guessing low, we remain one-all," Beck announced. "Can Ilyria and Michael change that? It's your turn."

Ilyria and Michael sat in the designated chairs.

 _Round 4_

"You look nervous," Michael noted.

Ilyria shook her head. "I'm… fine."

"Are you?" Michael asked ominously.

Ilyria glared at him.

"Yeah, you probably are…" Michael relented.

"All right!" Kayla chirped. "Michael, your question about Ilyria is…"

Ilyria bit her nails.

"What's her favorite color?" Kayla finished. Ilyria visibly exhaled.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"Let's see- she's strict, uptight, and has trouble opening up her feelings. She's definitely a beige."

* * *

"Beige," Michael said without hesitation.

Ilyria frowned and rotated her board, which read…

…

... _Beige._

"Was it really that easy?" Ilyria asked.

"No," Michael lied.

"One point for the Wily Wombats!" Kayla exclaimed. "They're winning again!"

"And now, Ilyria, your question… what is Michael's favorite non-chocolate candy?"

"What?!" Ilyria looked perplexed.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Non-chocolate? I don't really know many candy brands…"

* * *

Ilyria shuddered. "Ah… Jelly Babies?"

Michael flipped his board.

…

... _Smarties,_ it read.

"No points there," Beck shrugged.

"But- Smarties contain chocolate!" Ilyria protested.

Michael scribbled something on his whiteboard. He turned it back. It now read _AMERICAN Smarties._

"American-" Ilyria shook her head. "No such thing! I can't accept this!"

Beck shrugged. "Rules are rules. The Wily Wombats are now up, two-one. Let's see how Kevin and Nikki do."

Kevin waited for a grumbling Ilyria to stand before sitting. Nikki took the seat opposite.

 _Round 5_

Kayla looked at her clipboard. "Kevin, your question is… how many pets-"

"Three," Kevin cut her off. "Two cats, Magnolia and Roseberry, and a goldfish named Goldie."

"...Yes!" Kayla was surprised. "A point for your team!"

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Honorary Daring Dingo

"When the only other person to talk to is _Luke,_ you tend to learn a few things."

* * *

"Now…" Beck looked at the scores. "The Dingos lead, three to one. If Nikki gets this question wrong, the Wily Wombats go straight to elimination. Otherwise, the game continues."

Nikki looked panicked.

"Your question is… Other than Autism, how many mental illnesses does Kevin have?"

Beck looked straight at the camera. "Once again, I'd like to state that I did not come up with these questions. Blame Thor."

"Do no such thing!" A random voice called.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Honorary Wily Wombat

"Oh… he didn't mention any mental health illnesses… or did he say he had struggled with depression…?"

* * *

Nikki exhaled. "...Zero."

Kevin sighed. He flipped over his board, which read…

…

…

…

... _Zero._

"A clutch play by Nikki keeps the Wombats in, but they're trailing by one!" Beck announced. "Only Ruby and Spencer are left. Let's see what develops!"

Ruby and Spencer eyed each other for half a second before seating themselves.

 _Round 6_

"Ruby… you must get this right to keep your team in the challenge," Kayla said solemnly. "Ready?"

Ruby nodded.

"Okay… if Spencer were a potato chip flavour, what would he be?"

"...What the hell?" Ruby cursed. She turned to Spencer. "Why would you put that on your application?"

Spencer frowned. He discreetly pointed to his tuxedo jacket.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"Is he… giving me the answer? Why?... I suppose it was a really difficult question, but… what if he's lying?"

* * *

"All Dressed…?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

Spencer chuckled silently. He showed Ruby his whiteboard.

…

…

…

...which read _All Dressed._

"Huh," Ruby mused as her team cheered from the sidelines.

"Three-three, with one question left! Can Spencer win?" Beck asked dramatically.

Kayla read the question. "Spencer… to win it all… what's Ruby's only sister's name?"

Spencer's eyes widened.

Ruby looked afraid.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Daring Dingos

"..." Spencer just shrugs, baffled.

* * *

Spencer held up a notepad. On it was written…

…

…

…

... _Jade._

"Incorrect," Ruby smirked as she showed him her whiteboard, which read _Pearl._

Kayla looked around. "It appears we're tied, three all! So… here's how it's going to work. Please select one member from each team, which can include honorary members."

"I'll go," Michael immediately volunteered.

"You should go, Kevin," Faith encouraged.

Kevin blushed heavily and joined Michael.

 _Tiebreaker Round_

"This is how it's going down," Beck said. "We're going to ask you the same question. Whoever shows us the correct answer first will win it for their team. Do you have your whiteboards ready?"

The boys nodded.

"Your question is…"

"...what is the sum of all of the numerical _answers_ that have been given today?" Beck finished.

The two looked unprepared for this question.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"Let's see… Faith had eleven siblings…"

* * *

Michael started to write.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Honorary Daring Dingo

"...Luke had 2200 Pinstachat followers.."

* * *

Michael paused. This gave Kevin the opportunity to start writing.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"...Nikki had three pets…"

* * *

Both boys erased their answers.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Honorary Daring Dingo

"...and I had zero mental illnesses other than autism, making the answer…"

* * *

"Done!" One of the boys called. He showed his answer- _2214._

Beck smiled. "Correct! Congratulations…"

…

…

…

…

…

…"Michael and the Wily Wombats!"

"Yes!" Ruby cheered. She gave Michael a high-five, who, surprisingly, returned it.

"Sorry," Kevin muttered. He had _221_ and half of a _4_ written on his board.

"Congratulations, Wombats, for the third straight win! You all fight to see another day, along with the Turtles," Kayla announced. "Head back to camp."

They all departed.

Beck turned to the Daring Dingos. "Well, it looks like your streak is over."

"What streak?" Faith asked. "I don't think we've gotten first yet."

"Really?" Arianna started to count on her fingers. "Oh, yeah, I guess so…"

"Anyway, I'll see you tonight at Verloor Island," Beck shrugged. "Be prepared."

The Daring Dingos turned around and trudged off.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"Three wins in a row? This team is unstoppable!"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Hey… Addie didn't even acknowledge me today! Is that it, then? I'm not even worth- hmph. I'm overthinking."

* * *

Confessional: Drew- Daring Dingos

"Well, despite my efforts, my no good stink-fest of a team still lost. Well, sit back and get your popcorn, 'cause this is going to be an elimination for the ages."

* * *

 _Night 12_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Daring Dingos (Arianna, Drew, Faith, Ilyria, Spencer)**_

Drew entered first. He sat down on the bench smugly.

"What are you so high and mighty about?" Arianna scoffed. "You know you're literally the only target tonight, right?"

"Yep," Drew chuckled. "I know."

Everyone looked either nervous or confused at this sudden change in attitude.

"Welcome," Beck said as he and Kayla re-entered. "For over half of you, this is your first elimination ceremony."

Arianna, Drew, and Spencer nodded.

"Well, it's pretty easy to remember. First, though, let's talk about the day. Has anything eventful happened since the previous challenge?"

Everyone looked at Drew.

"We- Arianna and me- broke up," Drew explained. "Because her standards are apparently incredibly high."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing."

* * *

"Between you and me and the rest of the world," Drew continued obnoxiously. "I think she actually has a crush on Spencer, which is weird, because… well, look at him."

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- Daring Dingos

"..." Spencer's eyes are filled with rage.

* * *

"Of course, she tried to keep it a secret. Secrets? Well, that reminds me of Ilyria. She's could be a drug dealer or somethin', for all I know. The only thin' I know about her is that she likes freakin' beige. Beige? Really?"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"What the hell is he doing? And what's wrong with beige?"

* * *

"And Faith pretends to know everythin' she's doin', and yet I don't think I've seen her make a significant move yet, unless you count eliminating the walkin' stereotype. She acts like she's all that, but she's barely keeping control."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"Really? Is that what everyone thinks?..."

* * *

"And then you have me, Becky, the only sane man left on the team," Drew concluded. "That's what's happened."

"Wow…" Beck shook his head. "This seems like a really obvious vote, but first, does anyone have anything to add?"

"I am speechless," Arianna stated.

"Nothing here," Faith said.

"Nope," Ilyria agreed.

Spencer gave a thumbs down.

"All right," Beck nodded. "We cast votes in alphabetical order, meaning Arianna, you're up."

Arianna sighed as she stood.

She wrote down Drew's name and showed it. "Drew, I thought we could work things out, but you just cemented it for me. You won't be missed."

Drew was next. "Ha! They have no idea what's going on, do they?"

Faith came after him. "Hmm… what if Drew's acting so confident because he has an idol? I have to consider…"

Ilyria was after her. "Drew, we were planning on sparing you, but… I can't stand you. Sorry, not sorry."

Spencer was last. He wrote down a name. He looked very regretful.

Finally, he returned and sat down.

Beck stood. "I'll tally the votes."

He left. There was a very tense silence. Drew chuckled.

When he returned, Beck surveyed the players. "If anyone has a game changer and would like to play it, now would be the time to-"

"Right here, Becky," Drew cut him off, tossing him a necklace.

Everyone was shocked.

"This is a real Game Changer," Beck said solemnly. "It's power is to turn this into a double elimination. This means that the two people with the most votes will go home."

Arianna stood up. "WHAT?! That's mine!" She turned to Drew. "You stole that, you little-"

"Please," Drew looked at Beck. "Read the votes."

Beck paled. "I'm not sure what the rules are about-"

"Read. Them."

"Okay, okay," Beck raised his hands. "I don't want any trouble."

Beck unfolded the first piece of paper. "The first vote… Drew."

"The second vote… Drew. I'm sorry to say, you've been eliminated," Beck shrugged. "But you can stay while the other votes are read."

"The third vote… Drew."

Drew shrugged. "Here's the twist, guys. Check this out."

Beck read the last two votes. "Oh! Neither of these are for Drew!"

"Which one of you's the mole~?" Drew taunted. "I only cast one vote, remember."

Beck sighed. "The last two votes are for…"

Drew turned to Arianna. "Enjoy."

Beck inhaled.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"...Spencer and Spencer," Beck finished.

Spencer jumped up, shocked. He wheeled around on Arianna, accusing.

"What? No! I didn't vote for you!" Arianna swore. "Tell him, Faith and Ilyria."

Faith looked at the ground. Ilyria shook her head.

"Faith?...Ilyria?..." Arianna pleaded.

"Drew, you have finished the game in twelfth place," Beck announced.

"Congrats," he said to Arianna, stone-faced. "You just lost both of your allies. I'd give you until the top eight at best."

Then Drew left.

"Spencer, you have finished the game in eleventh place," Beck stated.

With one last glare at Arianna, Spencer exited, ignoring her protests.

Once he had left, Arianna wheeled around. "Which one of you was it?"

Slowly, Faith raised her hand.

"Look, I was concerned that Drew had an idol, and didn't want him to-"

"Save it," Arianna said, her voice seething.

"If I may intrude," Beck said awkwardly, "You three girls may go."

Everyone departed silently.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"I tried pretending to be a hero. It didn't work. Now, I'm forced to become the villain I tried so hard to avoid. Make no mistake. I will be the villain, and I will win."

She smirks cruelly. "And the first step in that is making Faith go down."

* * *

"Abigail's team was able to win despite the curse, and after a surprise double elimination, Arianna is stranded," Beck said.

Kayla appeared. "Will Addie stay loyal to Abigail?"

"Will Nikki lose trust in Kevin?" Beck added.

"And will Faith fix Ilyria's watch?" Kayla asked dramatically.

"Find out next time on…" Beck began.

"Total!" Kayla said.

"Drama!" Beck added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" They said together.

* * *

Final Confessional: Drew- 12th Place

"Yeah, I knew I was goin' home tonight. That's why I got more bang for my buck! Ha! Betcha Spencer's ticked. So, I'm cheerin' for… actually, I hate all of those poor suckers. I don't even care at this point."

* * *

Final Confessional: Spencer- 11th Place

"A-A-After all that, Arianna s-still betrayed me," Spencer, untaped, shook his head. "I hope she g-g-gets her just d-desserts. I'm still cheering f-f-for the rest of the Turtles, though. Original team r-r-r-represent. Oh, hey, I g-get to see C-Connie again! That's going to rock!"

* * *

 _Spencer has decided to pass on his Game Changer to… Kevin_

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Arianna voted for… Drew_

 _Drew voted for… Spencer_

 _Faith voted for… Spencer_

 _Ilyria voted for… Drew_

 _Spencer voted for… Drew_

* * *

 **Don't hurt me!**

 **I just thought I'd start with that, since I broke up THE couple, as well as sent my personal favorite (and, to my knowledge, some of yours) in Drew. Drew's elimination serves as a tool to show that, while this is a strategic game at heart, personal relationships still come into play. Also, Spencer! He was one of, if not the most unique character I accepted on the show. He'll definitely be missed, and Faith will have to own up to her choice of throwing Arianna under the bus with him next episode.**

 **Side note: Remember how Madeline was eliminated last time? She was actually going here, in a double elimination with Drew. (I was also planning on going from three teams to two, so they'd be on the same team, which is why the challenge was a two-teamed one).**

 **Side Side Note: I'm aware that the description says 11/18 players remaining. I didn't want to give away that it was a double elimination, so I lied. I'll change it next time when we go from 10 to 9.**

 **That's all I got for you! Feel free to comment your reactions to the chapter in the reviews!**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipient: Abigail (One Episode Until Redistribution)**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**


	10. Ep9: Lords Of The Sword

_An Apology._

 _Yeah, this chapter's late. And, realistically, a lot of others will be, too._

 _Here's the thing. My dad went overseas (with the military), so I'm just a titch stressed out. I definitely haven't been writing as much. So these might be delayed._

 _Sorry for the inconvenience. Now, onto this chapter._

* * *

 **Reviewer Addression Time!**

 **Michaelfang9- Actually, remember when I redrafted my order way back at the second elimination, when I spared Nikki from placing seventeenth? I had to redo the entire order of about half the cast, and Spencer was moved down here- all the way from fifth. It pained me, but I feel like the story will be better with what I have in mind.**

 **Candela Monsoon- As soon as I decided that Spencer would go here, I also decided that he would talk in that episode, and that episode only. I couldn't overdo it, although it did kind of feel foreshadow-y to me. Also, why would you be rooting for Lady Gaga? JK**

 **BeastBoyCoolMan15- I suppose you'll have to find out! (I'm addressing the PM)**

 **Is anyone else watching Survivor: Ghost Island? I'm rooting for both Donathan and Domenick :)**

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _After Madeline's unexpected medical evacuation, the Wily Wombats probably should have been struggling. Fortunately, she seemed to be dead weight, and the team carried on stronger without her. Michael revealed that he was an orphan, and that he had just been kicked out for coming out as bisexual. Kevin admonished Nikki to stay away from Luke, and, approximately five minutes later, she didn't, and Luke was able to sow some distrust of Kevin into her. Drew made a costly error after threatening Spencer to stay away from Arianna, assuming that he wouldn't squeal. He squealed. And so, when the Daring Dingos were sent to elimination after the Wombats' third consecutive win, Drew was the easy boot. However, his last 'gift' to his teammates was to force a double elimination, taking Spencer down with him._

 _10 players remain! Who will make it into the top half of the contestants? We're about to find out on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 12_

* * *

 _ **Daring Dingos: Arianna, Faith, Ilyria**_

The girls walked back from camp without a word.

"I-" Faith began as they arrived. She was immediately cut off.

"Shut up," Arianna muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

Faith looked disgruntled. "I-"

"Shut. Up," Arianna annunciated each syllable.

"I just-"

"SHUT UP!" Arianna bellowed, before dashing away.

Ilyria, once Arianna had left, looked sideways at Faith. "Take the hint, Faith."

Faith turned around with suspicion. "Aren't you on my side here?"

Ilyria raised an eyebrow. "I was on your side for planning on voting for Drew. I was even on your side for voting for Spencer. However, I was not on your side as soon as you let Arianna take the blame for Spencer's second vote. Now… If I were given the choice between who to vote out, right now, you'd see me hesitate."

Faith shook her head. "Well, that's great. I'll try and reconcile. There's no point having one third of your team mad at you."

Ilyria shrugged. "Go for it." As Faith left, she awkwardly added. "Faith…"

Faith turned around. "Yeah?

Ilyria went bright red, and she looked at the ground. "We can still be friends. Just… not allies, until this is sorted out."

Faith smiled. "I guess that's the best I could ask for, in the situation. Oh, by the way, I fixed your watch. I just didn't have time to tell you at Verloor Island."

Ilyria brightened. "Thank you. May I?"

Faith nodded, striding over and handing her the device. "I protected your software with an encrypted password, which I'll show you how to change. Also, one of your apps was out of date, so I updated it to the current version. I didn't look, though."

Ilyria examined the watch. "Which app did you…?"

Faith bit her lower lip. "I think it was called Tracker. Is that a game, or-"

"How long has it been," Ilyria cut her off, "since the last update?"

"Only a month or two- Ilyria? Ilyria!" Faith shouted after the Brit, who had suddenly run away.

"I have to go!" Ilyria called back.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"Oh no… Tracker is what I used to search for my mark! And, after I checked, as I feared… they're already here! I had no idea! But who could it be? Who…" she slowed down. "...hasn't been here…"

Her eyes widened. "Logan."

* * *

Faith wandered around the forest. "Hello…?"

Her eyes came across a figure.

"Arianna?" Faith asked. The figure dashed away. However, it was clear to Faith that it was neither Arianna nor Ilyria.

Faith shrugged. "Weird… Must be an intern." She continued on the path she walked.

A branch cracked, but it was not under Faith's step.

Faith whirled around in time for the same figure to put a hand on her mouth, preventing her from screaming.

"Steal the watch," the figure rasped, their voice muffled and garbled by a distorter.

Faith tried to say something. Her opponent pressed harder on her face. "Silence! Steal the watch. Say nothing of this to anyone, especially not to the agent or the HAP, or you'll pay."

Faith looked less panicked and more confused at this statement. Slowly, her features relaxed. She nodded politely.

"Stand still for the next thirty seconds. Then walk in the opposite direction as I," the figure finished, and then released Faith. He began to walk away from the camp.

Faith did not dare move or speak for the next thirty seconds. The, she burst out laughing.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"That may have been the worst attempt at a secret pre-challenge objective I've ever seen! I suppose Ilyria will have to steal Arianna's makeup, and Arianna will have to get my glasses. Although, they didn't really explain it well. Agent? Hap? This is just some ill-attempted nonsense. Whatever, McLean. I'll play along. And I expect the challenge to really be enlightening.

* * *

"Whatever," Faith chuckled. "I'll just tell her I forgot to encrypt- Oh, Arianna!"

Arianna had come into view. Faith waved to get her attention. Arianna, from a distance, turned around and walked the other way.

Faith shook her head. "This'll be difficult."

She began to run after Arianna.

Meanwhile, Arianna was walking with her hands in her pockets, her feet dragging along. She made no mention when Faith walked up beside her.

"Arianna," Faith began.

Arianna still said nothing.

"Arianna…?" Faith asked hesitantly.

"He hates me," Arianna suddenly said, turning around to face Faith. To her surprise, Arianna was in tears. "Spencer hates me. He trusted me, and I let him down."

Faith looked unsure of what to do.

"It's not your fault," she attempted.

Arianna sniffed. "Isn't it?"

"Well…" Faith hesitated. "...No. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you take the blame for what I could have stepped up to. If you're looking for someone to blame, I'm that girl. And I'll make a promise."

Arianna looked up.

Faith rambled on. "The next time I see Spencer, I'll promise to tell him what really happened," she vowed.

"So…" Arianna paused. "You're saying that Spencer is mad at me because of you, and that if I eliminate you, Spencer won't be mad at me?"

"Um… not exact-"

Arianna stopped in her tracks and stared directly at Faith. "Then I will not rest until I see your demise become a reality."

Faith's eyes widened. "That's not what I-"

Arianna cut her off with a hand gesture and strolled away, looking much less agonized than before.

"Well, at least she's not crying…" Faith muttered.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"Faith's elimination is now my endgame. The sooner she leaves, the sooner I am free of this guilt. Of course, that means I can't lose again until the merge. But that's a trifle. Faith, your days are numbered."

* * *

Arianna stalked over to her team's camp and sat down.

Then she stood back up. "You know what? I'm going to find an advantage!"

She stormed off… colliding directly with Ilyria.

"Ari-" Ilyria said before the two girls tumbled down a hill.

They landed in a heap in a low valley. Arianna was the first to recover, standing up.

"Ugh…" Ilyria muttered. "If I had a pound for every person that's knocked me down today…"

"What was that?" Arianna inquired.

"Nothing," Ilyria shook her head. "Let's go back."

As the two began to climb the hill, Arianna cleared her throat. "So…"

Ilyria looked her directly in the eyes. "So."

"So… if we lost, who would you vote for?" Arianna asked bluntly.

Ilyria stared off into the distance. She was silent for a long while.

Finally, once they reached the top of the hill, Ilyria spoke.

"We'd better not lose," she said.

Arianna was left standing still.

The camera followed Ilyria as she paced down the walking path. "What am I going to do?"

"Problem?" Faith asked, appearing beside her. Ilyria didn't flinch.

Ilyria shrugged. "Nothing you can help with. What do you want?"

Faith, used to Ilyria's bluntness by now, took no offense at her directness. "Actually, I was hoping I could get your watch again. I think I forgot a few things…" she rushed on. "...like Tracker? I'm not sure about that one- if I don't move some pieces of code around, it might shut down. And I'd like to double check a virus that I deleted."

Ilyria raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "A virus."

"Yep," Faith nodded. "The… ah…" she looked to her left. "P.A.L.M. bug. I've heard it originated here and can travel distances of up to one hundred kilometers just by being in close proximity with an exposed device."

"P.A.L.M." Ilyria repeated.

Faith continued with her charade. "Yep. It stands for Potentially Abnormal Low-Key… Mania. It slowly destroys unencrypted software."

"You said you encrypted it," Ilyria stated.

Faith coughed."P.A.L.M. attacks... the software as a whole, not the individual components that I encrypted," she finished. "I'm not lying," she added.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"She might be making this up, but at the same time I cannot allow myself to take chances if I am to catch Logan in the act."

* * *

"Forty-eight hours," Ilyria stated firmly. "That is all the time I can afford you."

Faith took the watch out of her outstretched hand. "It'll be enough. Thanks."

"Hurry," Ilyria said, before departing.

* * *

 _Day 13_

* * *

 _ **Tepid Turtles: Kevin, Luke, Nikki**_

"RAP BATTLE! GO!" Luke hollered.

"No," Kevin replied simply.

"Nikki?" Luke asked. "You're the bomb at this stuff!"

Nikki silently shook her head and looked away.

The three were sitting on top of their island's lookout hill, with blankets wrapped around their persons, as it was barely morning and they were cold.

"Ugh…" Luke moaned. "I'll bet you a po' boy that you can't leap off the hill!"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "I'll bet you a po' boy that you won't shut up for sixty seconds."

"You're on!" Luke cheered, and then snapped his fingers. "Crap. I just lost, didn't I?"

"In record speed," Kevin almost chuckled. "You know what? Keep the po' boy."

Luke shrugged. "I didn't have one, anyway. I ate them all the night we got them."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "You ate, what, twenty po' boys… with condiments… in one night?"

"Of course!" Luke puffed out his chest. "I get the munchies! Who doesn't? How many sammies do you have left?"

"All of mine," Kevin admitted. "I'm saving them or when we're running low on rice."

"An interesting query," Luke used an old aristocratic accent. "But won't consuming them contribute more to our rice supplies, via a smaller depletion?"

Kevin started to speak, but he stopped himself. "Er- Well- That's an improper use of the word query," he finally settled upon, satisfied.

Luke clapped his hands. "There's the Kevin we all know and are neutral about! Whenever you're wrong, you point out the faults in other people!"

The writer looked confused. "No I don't. You're making things up, as usual."

"You literally just did it again," Luke scoffed.

Kevin looked even more confused, and slightly annoyed. "Did what? Honestly, how did your original team not vote you off first?"

Luke smiled. "I'm an actor. People like people whom are likeable."

"Who," Kevin corrected.

"That's the fourth time in this conversation alone," Luke stretched back and relaxed. "Want to keep doing this?"

"Doing what?!" Kevin practically shouted.

Luke chortled. "Cute. Nikki? Any thoughts?"

Nikki looked up. "Uh… Um… I-"

"It's simple, really," Luke smiled. "Does Kevin point out others' flaws to distract them from his own?"

"I-"

"Of course," Luke barged on, disregarding Nikki's response. "It could also have a deeper, more psychological meaning. You see, if you disagree, Kevin may believe you're lying, and thus associate this with disloyalty to your oh-so-obvious alliance."

"I-"

Luke continued. "But, if you agree with me, Kevin might get angry with you for, well, practically calling him a hothead. The alliance might break off and you'll go home next, all because you spoke honestly."

Nikki's eyes bulged. She looked back and forth from Kevin to Luke.

"Or," Luke added as an afterthought, "You could run away and avoid confrontation, thus preserving all of our feelings."

It was almost insulting how fast Nikki chose the third option. She was gone in an instant.

"Man, I'm good," Luke smirked.

Kevin flared at the actor. "Now why would you do that?"

"Simple!" Luke chirped. "I wanted to drive her away so I could offer you a final 2 deal. How about it?"

"...Are you kidding me?"

"Yep!" Luke bounced on the balls of his feet.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Tepid Turtles

"Okay, Luke's scary good. Like, he has this on/off switch where he goes from this carefree harum-scarum to this skillful manipulator in the blink of an eye. It makes him seem harmless while he's pulling all the strings. Man… I underestimated him. I considered trying to throw the next challenge and getting Luke out while I still can, but things are not yet that drastic."

"Maybe with this advantage that I was anonymously gifted, things will be much easier."

* * *

"I'm going to find Nikki so we can talk this out," Kevin glared at Luke.

"Okie-Dokie, Harsh-And-Pokey," Luke smiled as Kevin walked down the hill.

Luke stayed on the hill for a while longer. He stared at the rising sun.

"Soon…" Luke said in a whisper. "Soon, I will make it happen. You'll be so proud, father."

He suddenly jumped up. "Well! I reckon Kevin will want company, huh?"

He walked down the hill.

Meanwhile, Nikki was back at the campsite, holding her head in her hands.

Kevin strolled down. "Hey, Lana."

A brief spectrum of emotions flashed across Nikki's face. "Lana?" she finally asked.

Kevin cursed. "Sorry. You Niks. I just wanted to tell you that it's okay if you don't think I'm perfect. Hell, I don't think anyone thinks they're perfect. Except this one girl in my school, who, by some coincidence, also happens to be named Nicky, but spelled with a c and a y-"

"Who's Lana?" Nikki blurted. She immediately covered her mouth with a hand. "Sorry, sorry."

Kevin wore a pained expression. "Look, I understand your curiosity. If someone called me, say, Richard all the time, I'd be a little curios too. But that, I'm afraid is the one question which I cannot and never will answer."

"But-" Nikki bit her lower lip and furrowed her brow. "If you keep secrets from me, then how can I trust you?"

"Hmm?" Kevin asked, confused.

"What if I'm just hoarding food for the winter, and, come the cold season, you're going to eat me?" Nikki asked.

Kevin froze. "You talked to Luke when I wasn't around."

"What?" Nikki asked, taken aback.

"He told you that stupid ant-and-grasshopper story, didn't he?" Kevin shouted. "Argh! I knew something was off!"

Nikki took a step back. "I'm sorry! I just-"

"Go!" Kevin bellowed. "Just- I need some time to think, okay?"

Nikki turned around and ran away.

"Thank you," Kevin muttered under his breath. "Now, what am I going to do?"

"You handled that situation poorly," Luke noted as he walked by, chewing on a coconut.

"Out!" Kevin boomed.

"Of where? We're outside, in case you hadn't noticed," Luke explained, careful to be as condescending as possible.

Kevin made a gesture, that, needless to say, was censored.

"Okay, gee," Luke surrendered. "Just consider that Nikki thinks you're mad at her, which could allow me the perfect opportunity to, I don't know, coerce her onto my side or somethin'."

"Why would Nikki be mad at me?" Kevin asked. "All I did was- oh, {CENSORED}!"

"Language," Luke said automatically.

Kevin sighed. "Can you just go annoy a koala for a while?"

"Meh, BTDTGTTSAWIO," Luke shrugged, but left anyway.

Kevin paced back and forth. "Christ, Kevin. You really screwed up this time. Um… Do I have any leverage? Ah… I could…"

He stopped. "Could I? Oh, that's dangerous… but…"

He sighed. "I have no choice. Nikki!" He shouted.

As expected, no one came.

Kevin went off in the direction Nikki had gone. He found her sitting on a rock.

"Nikki," Kevin stated.

Nikki startled, but said nothing, merely sighing.

"Give me…" Kevin looked at his watch. "Thirty seconds to speak."

Nikki nodded.

"Look," Kevin began. "You know I have trouble regulating what I say in my head before it comes out of my mouth. It's an Autism thing. But I can't blame what I just did on my disorder without acknowledging that the disorder is, whether I like it or not, a part of me. So, I can't just say 'I'm sorry' and we move on. It doesn't work like that, and would completely ruin this great friendship I have made with this unique and talented girl. So I won't apologize verbally."

Nikki looked up.

"After all, actions, as they say, speak louder than words."

Kevin slowly pulled a bundled up piece of paper from his pocket. "This is, according to the paper that it holds, the most powerful advantage in the game. And, because it cannot be stolen, I willfully bestow it to you."

Nikki still said nothing, but this time, it was because of shock.

"With this, you can dictate any vote you want. You're instantly the most powerful player in the game," Kevin handed her the advantage. "I'd admonish you to use it well, but since you're rather intelligent, I don't think that will be necessary."

"...That was way more than thirty seconds…" Nikki finally said, marvelling the advantage.

Kevin chuckled. "I'm not really one for concise words. Am I forgiven?"

Nikki slowly nodded. "Yes."

"Just think," Kevin added. "The merge can't be far off. With you, me, and Abigail running the show, especially with that advantage, we're golden."

Nikki smiled.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Kevin is… not exactly nice… but he's genuine… and he's a good friend. Luke can go to Wisconsin for all I care… I trust Kevin."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Tepid Turtles

"What's so bad about Wisconsin?"

* * *

 _Night 13_

* * *

 _ **Wily Wombats: Abigail, Addie, Michael, Ruby**_

"Let's practice one more time, just to be sure," Addie stated, fretting mildly. "I'm Ruby… and go."

He and Abigail were sitting alone at their campsite.

"Hey, Ruby!" Abigail said cheerily as she smiled at Addie. "Do you have a sec to talk strategy?"

"Yes," Addie said in a ridiculously un-Ruby-like voice. "What's up?"

"I don't think Ruby says 'what's up'," Abigail noted. "Just saying."

Addie sighed. "Missing the point," he reverted back to his original voice for a second, before continuing. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"Well," Abigail paused. "Here's the thing," she dropped her voice to a whisper. "I want to blindside Addie should we lose. He's becoming a very powerful player."

"Really?" Addie asked in his unnaturally high tone. "Are you sure?"

"Completely," Abigail confirmed. "Here's what I was thinking. You and I vote for Addie, while Addie votes for Michael, and… I guess Michael votes for me."

"Huh. Can I ask Michael about this, to see if he's on board with not being in the majority?"

Abigail frowned. "I don't think Ruby says 'on board' either."

Addie's eye twitched. "This is relevant because…?"

"I just though we might keep things accurate. Never mind. Anyway, I figured that Michael would want to vote for me in case Addie has some advantage that gives him immunity. That way, we'd at least both have a chance of fighting it out in the case of a tiebreaker. In that event, you're safe."

"Oh golly! I am!" Addie half-squealed. "I'll go tell Michael-"

"I don't think you should tell Michael, honestly," Abigail cut in. "He might go ahead and come up with a different solution, or, worse even, think you're a liar and betray you."

"Darn. Well, you've given me something to think about and- Oh, crap! She's coming!" Addie said in his fake-voice.

"Wait, why would Ruby say-" Abigail froze. "Oh. The actual Ruby is- got it."

Ruby came into the clearing. "Hey guys! What's up?"

"Told you," Addie muttered.

"Shut up," Abigail muttered back. "So I was wrong for once."

"Hello?" Ruby looked confused.

"Hi!" Addie said. "Sorry, you caught us at a really bad time. I kind of have an appointment with the outhouse."

He quickly left.

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"I actually did need a go. I don't know why I didn't think of using this outhouse as an outhouse earlier."

His chuckle changes to a frown as he lifts the toilet seat… to reveal a solid block of wood underneath. "Wait, what?"

* * *

"So… do you have a sec to talk strategy?" Abigail said awkwardly.

"I guess… but I wasn't aware we were doing that, what with being in separate alliances and all that," Ruby shrugged.

Abigail raised an eyebrow. "You and Michael are in an alliance?"

Ruby smacked her forehead. "Crap. Um… would you forget I said that?"

Abigail shrugged. "No promises. I'm sure you're only with him because I'm with Addie. It makes sense, in a roundabout way. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk about."

"What's that?" Ruby looked like she was still berating herself for her slip up.

"Addie has an immunity advantage," Abigail confided. "No, wait, I was supposed to keep that a surprise to swing you over. Um… but he does."

Ruby nodded. "Okay, cool. So, do you want to vote him out?"

"Yes…" Abigail looked slightly off-put, presumably because this conversation was dissimilar to her simulated one with Addie.

"All right," Ruby stood. "See you."

"Wait!" Abigail stood up and grabbed her wrist. "Tell Michael that he should vote for me in case Addie plays his idol."

"Will do," Ruby pulled her wrist away and walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"I'm not sure how well that went. Ruby seems less strategy-minded than I thought she would. My only question now is if Michael will believe me, but I'm almost sure he will."

* * *

"Bull," Michael spat, barely giving Ruby a second glance. He had been gathering berries when Ruby came.

"You think?" Ruby asked.

"Complete and utter bull. And I wasn't even listening. Here's what I gather: Abigail wants to save her tail by splitting our votes- mine for Abigail, yours for Addie- while they both vote for me," Michael explained. "And they have the nerve to think I'd believe them!" Michael grasped a berry so hard it exploded, splattering his glasses.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Ruby chastised.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Michael roared. "Nobody is using their brain on this island!"

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Ruby wondered hesitantly.

"No!" Michael shouted, but wouldn't elaborate.

"Even if that's true," Ruby said calmly, "if you keep losing your temper in front of others, they'll vote you out. Remember, it's still just two of us against nine others."

"Three," Michael corrected. "Luke, for some unbeknownst reason, really, really wants to work with me. I was adamant about refusing for a while, but then, I told him that we could work together in the merge if he eliminated Renee. Lo and behold, now we're allies."

"Well, I'm not a huge Luke fan, but I'm sure he can't be that bad," Ruby shrugged.

"We might even have four allies, if Arianna ditches Drew for us. Five, with Spencer. Then we're already almost a majority."

Ruby frowned. "Um… I don't know if I want to work with Arianna…"

"If you have a better option, I'll be happy to hear it," Michael stated flatly.

"Hm…" Ruby thought, but said nothing. "I can't think of anything right now, but I will get back to you, since I really don't want to be associated with her."

Michael picked another cluster of berries. "Want is not a word that holds power in this game."

Ruby could not reply to this. "So, what are we going to do if we lose?"

Michael sighed. "Abigail wants you to vote for Addie. So, vote for Addie. My vote can join yours, and then… I don't know. You're more likely to beat Abigail in a tiebreaker than Addie, I suppose."

"That's your plan?" Ruby stopped picking berries incredulously. "Force a tiebreaker?"

Michael shook his head. "No, you're right. Ah… I'll try and get Abigail to vote for you, and you try and get Addie to vote for Abigail. Maybe they'll split the vote."

"Anything else?" Ruby asked, still concerned.

"I-" Michael's hand strayed unnoticed to his pocket. "Nothing. That's the best I can do."

"All right, then," Ruby bit her lip.

There was a pregnant pause.

"...What are you waiting for?..." Michael stood, holding his berries in his shirt.

Both competitors left in their respective directions.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Wily Wombats

"It's a hasty plan at best, I admit. Honestly, I was considering revealing my Ally Save, but… and this is stupid… the last time I revealed that, the person I wanted to save went home. If Ruby went home… that would be bad… for my game, that is."

* * *

Ruby started to walk away, in time for her to hear, "Hey, Abigail, counter-proposal."

"I have to get Addie," Ruby muttered.

"Not the first time a woman's said that," Addie chuckled, appearing out of nowhere. "Not will it be the last."

"One, no. Two, I'm gay," Ruby counted on her fingers. "I can completely assure you that I don't like you like that."

"Noted," Addie snickered. "What do you need me for, then?"

"You probably know already, don't you?"

"Yeah," Addie admitted. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't considering."

Ruby nodded. "I just feel like Abigail's going to be a big threat come the merge. She's in line with Nikki, and by extension, Kevin. Those are two of the most well-connected players left. Honestly, she might include you in their alliance, but then what? Kevin and Nikki like each other and Abigail more than you. Even if the alliance worked out entirely in your favour, you'd only place fourth at best, unless you won immunity, a long shot."

"I'm aware," Addie admitted. "But what do I have to gain from getting Abigail out now? Kevin and Nikki will dislike it-"

"Kevin," Ruby interjected, "will respect your decision. Nikki won't like it, but I think she'll come around, too."

"Still, if I join your alliance, aren't you and Michael more deferent to each other than me?"

Ruby shook her head. "I'm not asking you to join my alliance. The merge is close. We just need you for one vote, and then you'll be free, with more options than what you'd have if you stuck with Abigail."

"Huh," Addie shrugged, but didn't elaborate. "Well, I'll think about it. It's a big decision."

"Of course," Ruby said. "Well, I think Michael picked some berries."

"Thrilling," Addie smirked. "Let's eat."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"I've done all I can. For the first time, I'm feeling confident about the vote."

* * *

 _Day 14_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: Lake Gellafiche**_

As all three teams entered, both the Wily Wombats and the Tepid Turtles turned to stare at the Daring Dingos. Arianna, Faith, and Ilyria tried to avoid eye contact as people started to count on their fingers, or think back to which opponents they had lost.

Beck walked into sight. "Hello, top ten!" he said, confirming their suspicions.

Kayla came in right behind him. "As you might have noticed, both Spencer and Drew were sent packing at the last conclave!"

Nikki's eyes widened. She almost jumped with happiness.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Drew and Spencer… are both gone? This is great!"

* * *

"And Chris and Logan are still bedridden with head colds," Beck added.

Ilyria's eyes narrowed. She raised a hand. "Are you sure that they're still in their beds?"

Beck looked confused. "Yeah… why?..."

Ilyria shook her head. "No reason."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Daring Dingos

"...Except that maybe Logan's who I've been tracking, and he's been using this as a cover! Okay, Ilyria, think…"

* * *

"First off," Kayla said, "I have a very important announcement."

Everyone leaned in.

"This will be the last challenge in teams. Starting after the Verloor Island Conclave, the Dingos, Turtles, and Wombats will be no more! Consequently, I'll need everyone to attend Verloor Island, regardless of whether they win or lose."

The reactions were mixed, but mostly positive.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Daring Dingos

"The merge. Huh. I didn't think I'd make it this far. But I'm not going to get cocky yet, because I suppose there's still that off chance that I'll be gone before that happens."

* * *

"Let's get to today's challenge!" Beck said.

Everyone groaned.

"...Sword fighting!" Kayla finished.

Everyone cheered, except Faith, who looked thoroughly confused.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"...But, if we're sword fighting, then what am I supposed to do with this watch?"

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Well, I've wielded a few swords in my day, and this'll be a great chance to let out any pent-up anger!"

* * *

"Here's how it'll work," Kayla explained. "We're playing tournament-style- four games in round one, the winners while square off in round two, and the winners of those will face each other for the win. The final round is only to determine reward- the two teams' players that make it there will automatically secure immunity for their teams."

Beck brought out a dessert cart with a blanket over it. "The winning team will receive…"

"...cheeseburgers!" he finished, pulling off he blanket. Underneath it were about two dozen fast-food chain bags, as well as various condiments. "That's right. Twenty-four cheeseburgers with all the fixings- ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, pickles, chili, and even bacon."

Everyone started to drool at the sight of the burgers, and Nikki at Beck's smile.

"It goes without saying, but is it worth playing for?" Beck raised an eyebrow. The response was near deafening.

"Then let's play!" Kayla raised a fist in the air. "Any questions?"

Addie cleared his throat. "What dictates a win?"

"Aside from forfeiting, you must lightly tap your opponent on their chest. The swords are wooden and dull, but they can still crack bones, so go lightly. Anyone else?"

Michael raised a hand. "You said tournament-style, which dictates that only eight players will be competing in round one. Yet, there are ten of us here. Explain."

Kayla started to count on her fingers. "Well… Oh yeah! Wombats, pick someone to sit out."

Michael didn't even look at his team. "Me. But that still makes one extra."

"Um…" Kayla looked at Beck for support.

Beck thought about it. "I suppose we could curse Abigail," he shrugged.

Kayla frowned. "But then we can't do-" she stopped herself just short. "I mean… Abigail is also sitting out!"

Abigail sighed. "I knew it."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"It would be rather nice to compete in a challenge for once. And no, the coin challenge doesn't count. But hey, at least this is my last curse before it's passed on to someone else. Come to think of it… how will the curse work in the merge?"

* * *

"We'll randomly select tournament matchups," Beck announced to everyone except Michael and Abigail. "Let's get started!"

 _Swordplay Tournament Matchups:_

 _Round A: Arianna vs Nikki_

 _Round B: Ruby vs Luke_

 _Round C: Kevin vs Addie_

 _Round D: Ilyria vs Faith_

 _Round E: Round A winner vs Round B winner_

 _Round F: Round C winner vs Round D winner_

 _Reward Round: Round E winner vs Round F winner_

"All right!" Kayla cheered once everyone was in position. "Round A: Arianna versus Nikki!"

Arianna stared Nikki straight in the eyes. Nikki looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"I must win this challenge. This is the only way to guarantee safety. And Nikki is an obstacle… one which I must remove."

"Go!" Kayla exclaimed.

Arianna slowly approached, holding her sword level.

Nikki tried to back away, her armament trembling in her hand.

Suddenly, Arianna screamed as she charged poor Nikki. She brought down her sword hard over Nikki's head. Nikki barely managed to sidestep. Arianna came at her with another blow, which Nikki parried, but the shy girl lost her sword in the process.

As Nikki dove for her sword, Arianna used hers to whack Nikki on her chest with the flat of her blade. Nikki fell to the ground.

"Arianna wins!" Beck announced. He walked over and helped Nikki to her feet. "Are you okay?"

Nikki smiled at him, and nodded. "I'm feeling... much better."

As Arianna and Nikki parted ways, Arianna to the winner's area.

"All right! Round B: Ruby versus Luke!"

Both competitors got up from where they were seated, and grabbed swords.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Daring Dingos

"I'm no good with swords. Of course, I'm still going to try!"

* * *

"Go!"

Luke screamed like a banshee and charged.

Ruby suddenly put on a burst of speed and ran, swinging her sword.

They met in the middle. Luke tried to jab at Ruby's stomach, but she parried and returned with a high jab of her own, which Luke barely blocked. Ruby jumped back as Luke whirled around with his sword outstretched.

Ruby quickly used her weapon to slap Luke's away, out of his hand and onto the ground.

"Well," Ruby slowly brought her sword to his throat. "It looks like-"

"Nope!" Luke scooped up some sand and hurled it into Ruby's eyes.

As Ruby instinctively dropped her weapon to reach for her eyes, Luke caught it and tapped her on the chest.

"Dang!" Beck whistled. "Luke wins a close one! Take a seat beside Arianna."

He walked over to Ruby and crouched. "Do you need anything?"

Ruby whimpered in pain. "Just some water for my eyes."

"Sure thing," Beck smiled, pulling out a water bottle from his pocket. "If you need anything else, just ask."

Nikki watched the whole encounter with shock.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Does Beck like Ruby? But- but- I thought…"

* * *

"Round C!" Kayla announced as Nikki glared at Ruby. "Kevin versus Addie!"

Kevin swore as the two boys stood. "Of all the opponents to get…"

Addie hopped up. "I'll say it now. This is nothing personal."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Did that sound like bragging? I hope it didn't."

* * *

"Go!"

Quick as a flash, Addie leapt over and poked Kevn's chest before he could react.

"Agh!" Kevin raised his sword about a full second later.

"Addie wins in lightning quick fashion, meaning every team has one player in!" Beck announced.

Addie joined Luke and Arianna in the winner's group.

"Round D!" Kayla said. "Faith versus Ilyria!"

Faith though about this. "I forfeit."

Everyone froze.

"...What?" Beck asked.

Faith shrugged. "I know that Ilyria's better than I am, so we might as well save her energy for the next round. For the good of the team, of course."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"...And, no one knows her fighting style, which could give the Dingos an advantage. I really want to win a challenge for once."

* * *

"Well…" Beck shrugged. "I suppose that's fine. Ilyria wins by forfeit!"

Ilyria walked over to the winner's area. Faith hadn't even stood up, so she was able to stay put.

"That's all the quarter finals done," Beck nodded. "Kayla, what's our first semi-final matchup?"

Kayla flipped her clipboard. "Our first matchup… Arianna versus Luke!"

Arianna, statue-like, stood and grabbed a sword.

Luke, considerably more joyful, swung his sword around like a cane.

"Arianna, if you lose, the Tepid Turtles will be safe from elimination and you have a 50 percent chance of going to Verloor Island," Kayla stated. Arianna nodded.

"Luke, if you lose, the Daring Dingos will be safe and you have a 75 percent chance of going to Verloor Island," Kayla said to the actor, who shrugged.

"Ready?..."

"...Go!"

Luke slowly approached, like a cat stalking a mouse.

Arianna stood, poised and ready.

There was a hesitation.

Then Arianna charged.

"Wait!" Luke cried as she attacked, to no avail. Arianna ducked low, whacking Luke's knee, which caused him to buckle. Then, Luke rolled beneath her legs, came up from behind, and wrenched Arianna's weapon out of her hand.

"I said, wait," Luke grinned.

Then, suddenly, he tossed both swords back to Arianna. "Listen to what I have to say."

Arianna looked wary, but she didn't move.

"You have no allies left in the game," Luke muttered, so only Arianna could hear. "This is no secret to anyone."

Arianna nodded. "Yes…"

Luke shrugged. "You have a choice. You can keep pretending to be a lone wolf, or work in a group of three, with myself and Michael. The alliance offer I gave you nearly a week ago still stands."

Arianna thought. "...Fine. I accept."

"Tut-tut!" Luke waggled a finger. "You're not the one calling the shots here. So, if you want to accept… forfeit the challenge."

Arianna stumbled backward. "And if I don't?"

Luke waved his hand. "Are you okay with being the first merge boot? Because even if your team wins all of their challenges, that's all you're going to be."

"Unless-"

"Unless you win every immunity until the finale, yes," Luke cut her off lazily. "Come on. That's not happening, and we both know it. Here's your choice. Give my team immunity once and gain two allies, or give yourself immunity today and be eliminated, like, eighth."

Arianna hesitated. Then she raised her swords…

...and tapped herself in the chest with both of them. "Deal," she muttered.

"Luke wins!" Beck announced. "I wonder what he said? It doesn't matter, because his team is safe from elimination, and he'll be competing in the reward round!"

Arianna trudged over to the rest of the contestants. She ignored Ilyria's harsh stare.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Daring Dingos

"I couldn't weigh my options very carefully, but I still feel I made the right choice. Sure, Faith and Ilyria are mad at me, but so is everyone, so it doesn't matter that much."

* * *

"All right! This is the big one!" Kayla announced. "Addie versus Ilyria!"

Addie smirked. "Good luck," he said as he rose.

"Hmph," Ilyria turned away. Addie frowned.

The two took their places.

"Addie. Ilyria. If either of you lose, you will go straight to elimination and will be unable to compete in the reward round."

Addie chuckled. "I don't plan on losing."

"Ready?..."

"...Go!"

Addie and Ilyria circled, their weapons ready. Slowly, they approached. Neither dared to make the first move.

Ilyria lashed out. Addie parried. She struck again. The same result.

Ilyria, frustrated, let out a flurry of blows, striking up, down, to the sides, and even one directly at Addie's head, all of which he was easily able to block.

"What are you waiting for?" the Brit asked, not tauntingly, but frustrated. "Play already!"

Addie shrugged and parried yet another jab. "All the better to tire you out."

"Argh!" Ilyria started to swing wildly. "Fight me, you coward!"

Addie froze. He said, in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard. "Did you just call me a coward?"

Ilyria, sensing her mistake, tried to backpedal. "Well, I meant-"

"You have NO right to tell me that I'm a coward!" Addie suddenly exclaimed, swinging his weapon for the first time.

Ilyria started to pale. She ducked under another one of Addie's blows.

"Look-" she began.

Addie laughed maniacally. "You think I'M the scaredy-cat? What about YOU, Little Miss Secret Keeper?"

Ilyria's expression turned frightened. It was a first. "You don't know what it's like for me-"

"I don't know what it's like? Is that it?" Addie roared, attacking rapidly while Ilyria blocked. "Well, let me tell you something!"

Ilyria had to step back yet again. Addie kept approaching.

"YOU don't know what it's like for ME!" Addie bellowed. "YOU don't know what it's like to have people avoid you like the plague! YOU don't know what it's like not knowing where or even when your next meal will come! YOU don't know what it's like sleeping under a freaking bridge every night, wondering if I'll be killed or chased away by police! _YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE HOMELESS!"_

On his last word, Addie swung his sword so hard that, when Ilyria feebly blocked, his weapon cracked in two.

Ilyria froze. "Oh... "

"Yeah," Addie spat, suddenly shying away awkwardly as he felt eleven pairs of eyes on him. He tossed the half of his sword he still had into the dirt.

"I'm so sorry," Ilyria said. She slowly stood.

"Well, you can't do anything about it," Addie shrugged. "Just a little respect would be nice."

Ilyria's eyes moved to her sword. "I-"

"Do it."

Ilyria, stumbling, slowly poked his chest.

Everyone was quiet.

"Ilyria wins, I guess," Beck said. "Wombats are going to elimination. Do you want to compete in the reward round, or…?"

"We'll split it," Kevin decided. "That is, if the Dingos are fine with that."

No one protested.

"Well, claim your reward," Beck said. Kevin and Ilyria both took one dozen cheeseburgers as their reward.

Ilyria lamely tried to offer a bag to Addie. He shook his head and laughed. "No, thank you."

With that, the Tepid Turtles and Daring Dingos left the scene.

Beck surveyed the group of four. "Wily Wombats, I'll be seeing you at Verloor Island tonight."

They left without speaking.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Tepid Turtles

"Yeah, OK, Addie's homeless… but more importantly, does Beck like Ruby? Oh, I bet he does…"

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Daring Dingos

"Arianna is walking a thin line, and I hope she knows it. If Ilyria hadn't won, she'd be going home. I have very little doubt."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Wily Wombats

"Surprise, everyone. I didn't want that to slip out, but it had to be said. That in mind, I hope no one treats me differently. My situation surely hasn't changed- after all that drama, I still have no idea who to vote for."

* * *

 _Night 14_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Wily Wombats (Abigail, Addie, Michael, Ruby)**_

All of the teams, as per request, came to the hut. However, a sign read 'Dingos and Turtles- wait here until the ceremony is complete,' most of the players stayed put.

The Wombats entered the square hut and sat.

"Are we still on for Addie?" Michael whispered in Ruby's ear.

Ruby nodded, but wouldn't meet his eyes.

Addie and Abigail shared a brief look. They both gave a quick shake of the head.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Wily Wombats

"Michael told me that we should vote for Addie... Maybe I should take what Abigail said into consideration. I mean, Addie might be a larger threat, but… he's homeless! What am I going to do?!..."

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- Wily Wombats

"I'm not that worried about the vote tonight. Addie and I are stacked with my extra vote in my pocket and no chance of being cursed again."

* * *

"Welcome, Wily Wombats!" Kayla alliterated as she entered, flanked by Beck.

Everyone gave some level of response.

"So… we can't ignore the elephant in the room," Kayla began.

"Shoot," Addie snapped his fingers. "There goes my whole plan."

"Would you like to explain?" Kayla asked. "If I'm not meddling, that is."

Addie shrugged. "There isn't much to know. My parents didn't want me. Instead of taking me to an orphanage, they left me in a box on the street. I was found by a group of homeless guys, who raised me as a group. I learned to survive. That's all."

Kayla grinned. "You're very modest. Tell us, are you playing for them?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Marten, Boz, Franc, Eddy, if you're watching from a department store or something, I haven't forgotten you guys. I'm doing this for you."

"Aww…" Kayla smiled. "Now let's move into game talk. Abigail, is there a clear target tonight?"

Abigail shook her head. "On a team of four? Not really. Everything's too close to be certain. One flipped vote could be the deciding one."

"...Because there are two groups of two?" Kayla finished.

"Yep," Abigail said. "I don't think anyone's denying that there appear to be two loyal duos on this team."

"Appear to be," Kayla repeated. "Ruby, your thoughts?"

Ruby chose her words carefully. "I agree that there are two established groups. Whether they vote as a unit remains to be seen."

"Hmm. It seems like everyone's expecting someone to flip. Michael, would you agree?"

Michael thought about it. "I will be surprised if the vote tonight is tied."

"And with that," Kayla said. "It is voting time! We go, as usual, in alphabetical order, so Abigail, you're up first."

Abigail stood up and went to the voting area.

"Sorry, Michael. You're too smart to stay in," Abigail said as she held his name to the camera.

Addie was next. "I… vote… for…" he said a name aloud as he wrote it down.

Michael was after him. "Addie, unfortunately, your first conclave on my team will also be your last. My apologies."

Ruby was last. "Um… er… Oh, I don't know!"

Finally, she wrote a name down and returned.

"I'll go tally the votes," Kayla said. She departed.

No one said a word.

Kayla returned. "If anyone has an advantage and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Abigail reached into her shoe…

...and pulled out an advantage. "I would like to cast an extra vote."

Ruby whent ghost-white.

Kayla nodded. "Please do so."

Abigail swiftly went to the voting area, and wrote someone's name down, before returning.

Kayla surveyed everyone. "Okay, now I'll read-"

"Hold up," Addie grinned as he stood. "Let's make things interesting." He tossed Kayla an advantage.

She swiftly read over it. "This is a genuine Game Changer, which allows you to block two votes. Addie, who will you pick?"

Ruby paled as Addie opened his mouth. "I shall be blocking…"

"...both votes cast by Abigail."

Abigail gasped.

Michael sighed. "Oh… You don't realize what you've done, do you?"

Addie raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The nerd's face resumed it's serious expression. "Abigail wasn't our target tonight."

Ruby nodded, her face still rather pale.

Kayla smiled. "I have a feeling this is going to be interesting. I'll read the votes for real- unless anyone else has an advantage?"

At the contestants' silence, she nodded.

"The first vote…" Kayla unfolded a piece of paper. "...is for Michael. However, since it was cast by Abigail, it does not count."

Abigail swore like a sailor.

Kayla unfolded the second slip of paper. "The second vote… is also for Michael, and is also blocked."

Abigail shot an accusatory look at Addie, who wouldn't meet her eyes.

A ghost of a smile lingered on Michael's face. "This is it."

Kayla slowly unfolded the third piece of paper. "The third vote… is for Abigail."

Ruby coughed.

"And the fourth vote… is for Addie."

Michael's knee started to bounce up and down.

Addie turned to Abigail. "I'm genuinely sorry."

Kayla, ever so slowly, unfolded the final piece of paper. "The ninth person eliminated from Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

...

...

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...

...

...

...

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...

...

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...

...

...

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...

...

...

...

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...

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...

"...Abigail," Kayla finally announced gravely. She showed everyone the final vote, to make things certain.

Michael froze. Slowly, he turned around to face Ruby, who tried to look away.

Abigail stood up and stretched. "How disappointing."

Kayla beckoned for the girl. "Abigail, you have finished the game in tenth place."

Abigail looked mildly surprised at this information. "Hey, I guess I did. At least I outlasted Janson."

"Should be a happy reunion," Addie joked.

Abigail smiled weakly. "I'll give that serpiente exactly what he deserves."

Then she left.

"Addie, Michael, and Ruby. Congratulations. You've made the top half of the competition!" Kayla said excitedly.

No one reacted significantly. All, presumably, were preoccupied with their thoughts.

"Now, we'd like you to meet up with the other campers, where we'll give you some specific instructions." Kayla bade them farewell.

Once they were out of earshot, Kayla faced the camera. Beck joined her.

"And with that, we have the merge!" Kayla excitedly cheered.

"Questions must be asked," Beck stated. "Is Michael mad at Ruby?"

"Will Luke remember his alliance with Ilyria?" Kayla wondered aloud.

"And will Arianna succeed in eliminating Faith?" Beck finished. "Find out soon on…"

"Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala!" They said together.

* * *

Final Confessional: Abigail- 10th Place

"I never expected that I'd have so much fun playing! At first, it was just to get at Janson, but as it went on, I made three really close friends, even if one of them blindsided me in the end. But hey, that's life. Like my mom always says, no se puede ganar siempre."

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Abigail voted for… Michael (Voted Blocked by Addie)_

 _Abigail voted for… Michael (Extra Vote) (Vote Blocked by Addie)_

 _Addie voted for… Abigail_

 _Michael voted for… Addie_

 _Ruby voted for… Abigail_

* * *

 **Bonus Scene**

Ilyria paced back and forth on the walking trail. It was obviously still nighttime.

"How can I get to Logan without being noticed by the interns?" She muttered to herself. "That jerk's going to pay, I'll say."

She stomped down so hard that one of her rocket-powered boots activated, and she went tumbling into the woods, propelled by her foot.

* * *

There was a brief flash of static, before the camera turned back on. This time, the majority of the screen was blocked off by an extreme close up of Beck's face.

Beck slowly backed away. He appeared to be taking a cell-phone video, using a selfie stick.

"Okay, we're recording," he whispered. Slowly, he showed his surroundings.

Beck stood between a collective of trailers and tents. In the distance, there was a sign that read Staff Residence.

"Here's the deal," Beck said quietly. "Kayla went in the infirmary tent, the one where Chris and Logan are being treated for their head colds, nearly three hours ago, and hasn't come out since. I'm not sure what she's doing, but I have a strange feeling. We're not allowed to be out at night, though."

Slowly, Beck crept across the area. He was careful to duck so that he couldn't be seen out of the high windows. Once, he had to dive behind a barrel so that a security guard couldn't see him.

Finally, he was at the infirmary tent.

"Here goes nothing," Beck sighed, and popped his head in the bottom of the entrance, with his cell-phone beside.

In the tent, there was an unbelievable sight.

Logan and Chris sat, back-to-back, gagged and tied together, on a table. Their eyes were wide with fear.

Behind them, one of the interns stood guard. His hand was on his hip, where a gun was obviously hidden.

Beck covered his mouth with his hand to keep from gasping.

"Get comfortable," Kayla suddenly appeared from behind an electric refrigerator. "I don't think either of you are going anywhere for awhile."

"No," Beck muttered.

The sound made Kayla's head snap towards him.

Beck recoiled from where he was, and, ignoring all caution, or silence, sprinted back to his trailer. In doing so, however, his cell-phone went flying out of the selfie-stick. The phone flew to the ground, face-down.

Kayla appeared, standing over the phone. "What do we have here?"

She crouched to pick up the phone. Then she straightened. "Actually…"

Kayla's laugh was the last sound the phone picked up as she crushed it under her foot.

* * *

 **There you guys go! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **First off, can Abigail get some love? She's honestly one of my favourite characters this season. I wanted to destroy the idea that the 'ex-boy/girlfriend' has to be a complete psycho all the time. Abigail was caring and strategic, even when Janson was still in the game. Alas, she is eliminated, but I feel l** **ike she ran her course.**

 **Let's focus in on the two most important things (excluding the bonus scene): Addie's revelation and Abigail's elimination.**

 **Addie was sent to me as a heroic thief, somewhat of a modern-day Robin Hood, who only stole from the rich and used the money to buy basic necessities for him and his homeless buddies. I wanted to change that for both character development and a touch of humor, so I made him a kleptomaniac. However, I kept one thing the same- he remained homeless. If you were paying close attention, you might have noticed the hints I dropped along the way- his weird clothes, the fact that he was so good at picking up coins in the challenge a two chapters back, and that he still thought CDs were in. He became a kleptomaniac because he had to be, on the mean streets of Germany.**

 **This links to Abigail's elimination. But first, let's remember all the way back to the team swap. Remember when Renee commented that to keep the teams even, it would have been more effective to move an OG Tepid Turtle to the Daring Dingos? This was actually my plan in the first place- move Abigail to the Dingos. And when the vote came, it was going to be Madeline going home despite using the vote-blocking advantage, and Abigail losing out soon after- in tenth place, as it happened. When I changed things up, I had to scramble for substitutes to this. And one of them was Addie getting Madeline's advantage, so that, by this point, Madeline and Abigail would still both be eliminated and the advantage would be used. Now, the question is: Why would Ruby vote for Abigail, opposing the alliance that she had just made with Michael? Well I had to struggle for a while to justify, but remember, that alliance was built on Michael newly becoming homeless. Ruby thought something like, 'If I'm helping Michael win so that he can get a home, shouldn't I also help Addie win so that he can get a home?' It sounds poorly-thought out since there can only be one winner, but someone as nice (and a little short-sighted) as Ruby would want to make everyone happy. Ironically, that means that Addie revealing that he was homeless actually saved his hide in the end, and everyone's favorite klepto lives to fight another day.**

 **But what are your thoughts? Also, now that we've hit the halfway mark, who are you cheering for to win? Constructive criticism would also be appreciated!**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipient: None**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**

 **PS. 10k word chapter!**


	11. Ep10: Contestants Unite!

**To My Faithful Reviewers:**

 **La Rossa Rosa- I think so too! This is probably my favorite chapter to date.**

 **Obikinoah- Beck ain't hostage yet… Kayla suspects something's up though. Glad you like Domenick, this next episode where he and Chris are back together is going to be intense!**

 **TotalDramaFan04- Yes, I hoped I'd surprise a few with how far Michael goes. Glad you're a good sport about all this :)**

 **Beastboycoolman15- If you like Addie and Ilyria, you're either going to like or hate this chapter. Read on, good sir.**

 ******Please excuse any grammar errors. I wrote the majority of this on my dinosaur phone.**

 *****I finished this chapter in a span of thirty-six hours. Is there something wrong with me? (Don't answer that)**

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse Of K'wala:_

 _Things were heating up after Drew and Spencer were both taken out in one fell swoop, leaving Arianna with only one person to blame: Faith. On the Turtles, despite Luke's meddling, Nikki vowed her loyalty to Kevin after he gifted her the Mystery Mastery Game Changer. On the Wombats, Abigail tried to get Ruby to vote for Addie, who tried to get Ruby to vote for Abigail, both members not knowing of Ruby's extreme loyalty to Michael- which meant nothing, as Ruby changed her vote at the last minute after learning that Addie was homeless, sending Abigail home._

 _Nine are left, and we are merged! Who will go home tonight on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse Of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 14_

* * *

 _ **Merged Players: Addie, Arianna, Faith, Ilyria, Kevin, Luke, Michael, Nikki, Ruby**_

The members of the Daring Dingos and the Tepid Turtles stood outside the elimination hut, unaware of the events that had just occurred.

"So… who do you think is going home?" Faith asked, raising the question everyone had been thinking about.

"I can't imagine Addie staying for much later longer," Kevin replied. "Now that we're merged, he'll be taken out for being a threat and not a contributor to his team."

Ilyria frowned at his statement, but made no comment.

"I never thought about it that way," Faith mused. "I was thinking it'd be Michael. After John, I don't think he made many social connections. I could see the other three ganging up on him."

"...Man, you don't really think about what goes on at other teams," Luke pondered. "We'll have to reminisce at our super-awesome-merge-night-jamboree!"

Everyone turned to stare at him.

The actor held up his hands defensively, "Hey, what's wrong with a little jam and a little boree every now and then?"

"He's right on one count," Faith smiled. "We've got to catch up."

Kevin gritted his teeth. "Right. Faith, a word?"

But she could not reply, for at that moment, the Wily Wombats re-entered the area.

Ruby came first, to no one's surprise. She waved to Faith and gave Nikki an empathetic smile.

Michael was the next one to emerge, which for some, namely Faith, was unexpected. He ignored Kevin's handshake and Luke's enthusiastic "Mikey-Bear!"

Ilyria and Nikki shared a quick glance. They both knew only one of them would be content tonight.

...Finally, Addie strolled out, receiving the most enthusiastic reaction of cheers. Luke patted him on the back and even Arianna smirked, while Ilyria looked relieved.

For Kevin and Nikki, the mood was not as joyous.

"Oh…" Nikki looked at Addie, and then to Kevin. "Oh…"

Addie turned apologetically. "I'm sorry that Abigail couldn't be here. Just… you have to understand, it was her or me."

Nikki nodded, her lower lip quivering. Kevin put an arm around her. "Hey," he whispered. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"So Abigail's out and Addie's in? I'm relieved… strategically speaking, that is. Addie's a potential ally… and maybe I want to smooth things over with him."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I'm ticked off that Abigail's gone. I'm going to have to improvise if Nikki and I are going to make it to the final two. Nikki… I guess I'm all she has now in the game."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I made the merge! Of course, I was confident that I could make it this far. I made difficult strategic moves and kept my head up. Not bad for a girl who hasn't won a single challenge… except that last one, but that was a tie anyway."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Woo! The merge! I'm all set now! I survived being in the minority on the Wombats, and then on the Turtles, and now I have at least two allies, and a cushy spot in the game. Final two, here I come!"

* * *

Confessional: Nikki

"So… Abigail's gone… and Beck likes Ruby… what's the point of even doing this anymore? It's buggy, it's hot, and it's hard! That said… I want to prove to myself that I can still win!... Did that sound cocky? Oh, it sounded cocky, didn't it? I'm sorry!"

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"So I did make the merge after all, despite the fact that my life is as unlucky as it is miserable. I can't say I like my chances; honestly, I don't see myself staying past the final 5 or so. But hey, miracles happen… did I just say that aloud? No they don't!"

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"This whole game is sick. I've made some good friends and pushed myself. Man. I'm just going to keep riding this wave as long as possible. It sounds like a fairy tale, but this experience has made me a better person for it."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Was I expecting to make the merge? No. Am I glad I did? Heck yeah! That quiet girl who walked on the beach on day one is not who I am today. This game has given me confidence and honour, even when I had to make a hard choice. I can't say I'm playing an entirely independent game, but at the same time, I'm living up to my expectations."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Of course I made the merge. How couldn't I have? With several new potential allies, I can now succeed in my goal of entirely destroying Faith's gameplay. Of course, her little show with Kevin didn't go unnoticed either. Do you think taking him out would break her…? Heh."

* * *

"So now what?" Addie asked.

"I'll tell you what!" Beck announced as he strode it. "But first, you guys should give yourselves a hand. You're in the top fifty percent of the competition, and halfway to winning one million dollars!"

Everyone cheered.

"For that, we have a surprise reward for you guys," Beck explained. Behind him, two interns wheeled in large spinners.

"Behind me there are two wheels of reward- a personal wheel and a group wheel," Beck explained. "You can choose to spin one of these, and whatever you get, will be sent back to your merge camp. Let's take a look at the choices. Addie, want to read the group wheel out?"

"Sure thing," Addie said, strolling up. "On this wheel, there are six sections- _Shelter Building Kit, Fishing Gear, Fire Building Kit, Chickens, Pillows,_ and _No Reward_."

"And Nikki, the individual wheel? Nikki?" Nikki had been staring at the temporary host, and Beck snapped his fingers to get her attention.

"What?... Oh," Nikki nodded and scooted over to the wheel. "There are six sections… _Steak Dinner… Queen Size Bed… Spa Day… Mystery Advantage… No Reward…_ and another _No Reward._ "

"Yes, there's twice the chance of getting no reward on this wheel. Keep this is mind," Beck mentioned. "Who should go first? Let's go with… Ruby."

Nikki pouted as she returned to her spot, and stared daggers at an oblivious Ruby as she went up to the wheels.

Ruby looked over both wheels. "I'll spin for the group."

She gave it a hefty spin and it turned quickly, slowly stopping on…

"Shoot," Ruby muttered under her breath. The spinner had landed on _No Reward._

"Nikki, you're up," Beck stated. Nikki smiled and instantly went to the group wheel.

With a heave, she spun, eventually landing on…

"Pillows!" Beck announced. One intern wrote something on a notepad.

Nikki smiled excitedly and went back to her spot.

"Michael, want a spin?" Beck asked.

"Yes," Michael answered simply. He went to the group wheel, which came as a surprise to some.

The wheel eventually stopped on…

"Shelter building kit, nice," Beck said appreciatively. "Good for those long nights."

Michael nodded as he returned.

Luke, to no one's shock, went to the individual wheel. "Come on, steak dinner; come on, steak dinner…" he repeated as the wheel spun, landing on…

"...And Luke gets a spa day!" Beck announced.

"Sweet! Mama needs a pedicure!" Luke wiggles his toes inside his shoes. "...When do I go?"

Beck smiled. "Tomorrow morning, an intern will take you to the K'wala resort to receive a variety of treatments, as well as a large island-style meal."

"Yeah!" Luke pumped his fist as everyone rolled their eyes.

"Next up is Kevin," Beck said. "We're going in reverse alphabetical order, by the way."

Nikki looked a little ashamed of herself.

Kevin walked up to the group wheel, giving it a massive heave. It spun around…

"Chickens for the group!" Beck announced. "These can be harvested for eggs, or butchered for meat."

Kevin walked away. "Food source. Good."

"We're not actually going to butcher them, right?" Ruby said weakly.

No one spoke.

"Ilyria!" Beck said, loudly and awkwardly. "Which wheel will you spin?"

"I'll go for the group," she briskly walked over to the wheel, and unhesitatingly gave it a spin.

"No Reward," Beck stated. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Ilyria shrugged and walked back.

"Next up… Faith," Beck said. "Select your wheel."

Faith wavered. Eventually, she went to the group wheel.

"Fire building would be nice," she said as she watched the wheel rotate, landing on…

"Faith takes home the fire building kit!" Beck announced. Faith cheered. "Arianna?"

Arianna smirked, and strolled over to the individual wheel. She gave it a whirl, quite literally.

The wheel spun, mesmerizingly fast, until landing on…

 _Mystery Advantage._

"A mystery advantage for Arianna," Beck stated, about as excited as a brick whose dog had just been run over. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. Arianna snatched it out of his hand.

"Addie? You're up," said Beck.

"Question," Addie replied, staring at the two wheels. "If I land on a group reward that's already been spun, what happens?"

Beck looked at a clipboard. "It acts as a _No Reward._ But on the individual wheel, you still get the reward."

"I'll go for the individual reward wheel then. No point going for a one-in-six chance on the group," Addie reasoned.

He spun the individual wheel. It slowly landed on…

"Steak dinner for Addie!" Beck announced. "This dinner consists of mashed potatoes, green peas, ice cold sparkling water, and, of course, perfectly cooked and seasoned flank steak."

"Nice," Addie licked his lips.

"...And it's for two," Beck finished. "You can choose one other competitor to partake in this meal."

"Huh. I think I'll go with Ilyria," Addie said, a bit too quickly.

"Really?" Ilyria was surprised.

Beck smiled knowingly. "Your table will await you back at camp, which is here on K'wala Island. The interns will show you the way. Now rest up, enjoy your rewards, and get ready for the next challenge."

Everyone departed.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I think we did well enough in the reward game. Shelter, fire, chickens, and pillows. Sounds like a better experience than on the Dingos, at any rate.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"He chose me? Why did he choose me? Is this a date? Am I going on a date? Why am I going on a date? How am I- calm down, Ilyria…"

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Would you like to know what this advantage says? Well, you can't. It's too important. All I can say is… Faith better watch out. Or else, well, you know how it goes. Teehee!"

* * *

"...So are we doing this?" Ilyria asked, as she and Addie approached a table full of steaming hot food.

"It appears so," Addie said. He surreptitiously smoothed his wrinkled white shirt down.

"Okay," Ilyria said.

"Okay," Addie repeated.

Addie pulled out a chair. Ilyria instantly went to the other one, unknowing of the gesture. Addie sat, red-faced.

"So…" Addie said. He and Ilyria reached for the plate of steak at the same time, and their hands touched.

Ilyria pulled her hand back. "Um… I should go…"

"No! Stay," Addie encouraged. "Seriously. There's too much food for me to eat."

"You can have it, honestly," Ilyria encouraged, standing.

Addie's brow furrowed. "Oh, I see how it is, then."

"What?"

Addie frowned. "Just because I'm homeless, which I, by the way, have been all of the competition, I suddenly get sympathy. Ilyria. Don't do this. Don't pity me. Yes, I'm homeless. But I chose you to eat this with me. Show me the respect I deserve."

Ilyria shook her head. "That's not it. You don't get it."

"Well, tell me then! Explain why you keep distancing yourself from me!" Addie stood up.

"I- I can't!" Ilyria exclaimed. "For your own safety, I-"

"For my own safety?" Addie raised an eyebrow. "If you don't like me like that, tell me! I've been hurt emotionally before. One time, one of my friends, Heinz, was shot in an alley. He died in my arms. Telling me you don't like me is not going to hurt that much!"

Ilyria clenched her fists. "You colossal idiot! I do like you!"

She froze.

"I have to go. Now," Ilyria ran- actually _ran_ \- out of the clearing.

Addie was left sitting alone at the table.

"...More steak for me, I guess," He shrugged, piling both steaks on his plate.

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Ilyria Song, you are absolutely crazy. Will I ever figure you out?"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"What am I supposed to tell Addie? 'I can't date you because I'm a secret agent employed to take down an enemy that's trying to take down Total Drama and Chris McLean?' He'd never believe me."

* * *

 _Day 15_

* * *

"Spa time!" Luke cheered as he watched the boat arrive. "Let's get rejuvenated!"

As he jumped on the boat, he shouted, "Spa, ho!"

Then he was gone.

Michael watched the boat leave. "So long. I hope you weren't lying."

"About what?" Ruby came up and sat beside him.

Michael shook his head. "That's not important. We should talk to Arianna."

Ruby frowned. "Arianna?"

"As a potential alliance member. Her mystery advantage, plus Luke's and her vote, may be enough to put us in the majority."

"I thought I said I didn't want to work with her," Ruby mentioned.

Michael sighed. "You don't have to directly work with her or even talk to her. I'll do it all. Her vote is all we need, and you, Luke and I can ditch her as soon as the final six."

"When did I agree to working with Luke?" Ruby protested.

"You're not working with them! We just need votes!" Michael shouted. "And if we have to talk to the people that no one else will, so be it! They're numbers!"

"They're people!" Ruby argued. "Bad people!"

"So what?" Michael threw his hands in the air. "If we got out Luke and Arianna next, who would be on the chopping block then? Us! It's not a happy option, but it's the only one we've got!"

Ruby pursed her lips. "You could really learn to be nicer."

"I'll be nice once the rest of the world is," Michael shot back. "Including you. I haven't forgotten that you changed the vote on me."

"...Fine. Who's the target?" Ruby asked finally.

"..." Michael said a name.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Just because your life sucks, you don't have the right to treat others poorly. It's hard to put with Michael… but I'm doing the right thing. I have to keep telling myself that."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I thought she understood. This isn't just a game for me. I _must_ win. There's no alternative."

* * *

"Is everyone here?" Kevin surveyed the group that was now relaxing around their camp. "Good. You're wondering-"

"No, not really. Alliance," Addie interjected.

"Don't be rude," Ilyria chastised him.

"Mind your own business," Addie shot back.

"This is my business," Ilyria gestured to the group.

"Guys, honestly," Faith chided them.

"Please…" Nikki added.

Um…" Ruby raised her hand. "Why am I here?"

"You're all here for one reason. All of us are linked together, either through friendship or alliances. I'd like to form us all into one large alliance."

"Okay," Addie started to walk away.

"Wait!" Kevin pulled his arm back. "We should decide on a target!"

"...I thought we'd all be in favour of Arianna," Faith said, confused.

"Shouldn't we discuss?" Kevin asked.

"Why?" Ruby frowned.

"Because… well, what if Arianna wins immunity? And what's her advantage?"

Addie shrugged. "Luke, and who cares? Man, you have to lighten up a bit."

Kevin spluttered. " _Who cares?_ This could be a game changing decision!"

"But it's not," Addie said. "We have the clear majority, so it doesn't matter who we take out, as long as all three go."

"But we have to plan!" Kevin said.

"Here's the plan I'm going with: Arianna. Luke if she's immune. We don't need to discuss further. I'm out."

Addie left.

"This will be your ultimate pitfall!" Kevin shouted after him.

He turned around. "Okay, now can we-"

Everyone was gone, barring Nikki.

"Cripes," Kevin muttered.

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Kevin needs to chill out. Not everything can be planned to the last breath. We need some wiggle room, you know?"

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Addie's attitude is difficult to work around. He likes things short and to the point, which isn't my strong suit."

* * *

Nikki left the clearing after encouraging Kevin that things would go his way.

"Oh, hey Nikki!" Ruby waved as she came into the area.

Nikki returned her greetings with a harsh stare.

"Huh?" Ruby said, confused. "Did I do something to offend?"

"You know what you did…" Nikki spat.

Ruby shook her head. "No, honestly, I don't."

"Right. You can't just waltz in and steal what's rightfully mine and expect me to get mad!" Nikki shouted.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Ruby shouted.

"Why would I believe you, thief?" Nikki muttered.

Ruby rolled her eyes with disbelief. "When I met you, I thought you were a good person… I guess I was wrong."

She stalked away.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Is Nikki always like this? She's like Madeline 2.0… except I don't know what I stole!"

* * *

Confessional: Nikki

"Beck is mine, you hear me? Mine!"

* * *

Faith and Ilyria walked along the shoreline.

"So, I guess we're in an alliance again," Faith said.

"I guess we are," Ilyria replied.

They kept walking in silence.

Faith cleared her throat. "Hey, if you want to talk about Addie-"

"Thank you, but no," Ilyria cut her off. "I'd prefer if you didn't meddle."

"I can respect that," Faith said honestly.

"Do you have my watch?" Ilyria asked.

Faith froze. "Um, no…"

Ilyria's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. Your hand is straying close to your left sweater pocket and you won't meet my eyes. Faith, I need that watch."

"I can't give it to you yet!" Faith protested. "I have to protect against… ah…"

"T.R.E.E.?" Ilyria suggested.

Faith nodded. "T.R.E.E."

"Funny, because yesterday you said it was P.A.L.M." Ilyria raised an eyebrow. "Give me the watch."

"No!" Faith took it out of her pocket.

Ilyria reached for the watch. "Give!... It!... To!... Me!..." she choked out.

"I can't!" Faith flung her hands in the air, and in doing so, lost her grip on the little watch.

It flew through the air an a sad arc, before landing in the ocean.

"Oops…" Faith put a hand over her mouth.

Ilyria started to shake. "You just threw a hundred thousand dollar watch in the ocean."

Faith shook her head. "Yeah, I know- did you say _hundred thousand?_ "

"I have to go," Ilyria sprinted away.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I feel like I've made a huge… no, monumental... error. What could be so important that Ilyria would need to drop a hundred grand on it?"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Why would Faith want to destroy my watch, unless… oh. Oh! And the plot thickens… It seems Faith is either actively working against me or working for someone who is… and I didn't know!"

* * *

"There you are," Michael said unhappily.

Arianna looked up. "What could you possibly want with me?"

"What else?" Michael spat. "Obviously, I want your vote and your advantage to be played against the right people."

"Before you speak, I will reveal nothing to anyone about the advantage," Arianna warned.

"Smart. You'd be an idiot not to be careful, what with your name being high on the list of potential victims," Michael agreed. "I'd like to disclose to you some information that could affect you one way or another."

"Very well," Arianna stated. "Fire away, as they say."

"You," Michael began, "are in an alliance with Luke. Luke is in an alliance with me. I'm in an alliance, albeit a shaky one, with Ruby. Do you see where I'm getting at?"

"Four out of nine does not make a majority," Arianna replied.

"Luke has an extra vote. You have an advantage. These things can tip the scales if we require them to."

Arianna nodded. "Very true. That said, what's to say that you won't betray me as soon as you can, say, the final six?"

"Common decency," Michael lied. "I have never been dishonest to anyone who I am aligned with. You would make it to at least the final four; maybe the final three, because I wouldn't want to go against Luke longer than I needed to."

"Interesting. You're smarter than I am, I'll give you that."

Michael adjusted his glasses. "I'd like to believe that I am the smartest person on whatever island I happen to be on. Alas, I cannot be certain."

Arianna bit her lower lip. "I'm hesitant to be in an alliance after my last ally took out my other ally and himself all at once. What can assure me that you won't turn on each other?"

"Ruby's about as likely to turn on me as Nikki is Kevin," Michael drawled.

"You say that," Arianna smirked. "After Nikki was convinced by Luke to change her vote to Connie, and after Ruby just changed her vote to Abigail. However, I wasn't talking about Ruby."

Michael sighed. "Luke is unpredictable, I grant that. He has betrayed every single alliance member he's had without remorse. Given that, I could see us turning on him at the top six, so you, Ruby and myself would have the majority, and guarantee you a spot in the top three."

"Assuming you and Ruby are trustworthy," Arianna finished.

Michael glared at her. "I understand that Drew betrayed you and you've lost all respect for Faith, but you'd better put your trust somewhere, or else you'll see your name on eight separate papers."

Arianna smiled "Fine. I'll bite- on one condition. Faith goes next."

Michael shook his head. "We have a name already. We're voting for…" he said the name.

Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're voting for them? What if I just vote for Faith anyway?"

Michael chuckled. "Considering extra votes don't count in a re-vote, we'll be in the minority, and whoever the others decide to vote for- that is, you- will go home. You seem to think you're calling the shots. It is not so. You need me, and, as much as it pains me to say it, I need you, but we still have the veto power."

Arianna crossed her arms. "Faith, or no deal."

Michael clenched his fist. "You know what? Here's a counter proposal. You vote with us for our guy, and, come the next vote, we'll go for Faith. It's a take it or leave it offer."

Arianna made no movement. "You'll know soon enough if I accept."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I'm genuinely curious to know how the hell Arianna made it this far. She actively pushes people away, and then when I'm generous enough to offer her some saving grace, she acts like she's too good for it. Perplexing."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"I may have committed one way or another, but I also have to keep in mind this advantage. I don't lie when I say it could change everything."

* * *

"I'm back!" Luke called. He was sporting a woven hat, sunglasses, and a clean, floral-patterned shirt. In his hand he had a tropical drink.

"...Guys?"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Gee, I hope nothing important happened while I was gone…"

* * *

 _Night 15… Day 16_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: K'wala Caves**_

The nine competitors made their way to the caves, all eager for their first challenge as individuals and not as a group.

Beck and Kayla stood, waiting, at the mouth of the cave. For some reason, Beck was standing a fair distance away from Kayla, and flinched every time she made a sudden movement.

"Hi, guys!" Kayla waved. Beck involuntarily took a step back.

"Ready for your first individual immunity challenge?" Beck asked, keeping his eyes on Kayla.

There was cheering.

"This is a simple one," Beck explained. "Kayla is going to hide deep in the caves. The first person or group to find her will win immunity. You can work in groups of up to three."

"That's right!" Kayla exclaimed, jumping forward. Beck yelped from her sudden close proximity but was able to pass it off as a cough.

"Kayla has ten minutes to hide," Beck said. "Starting… now!"

Kayla walked into the cave.

Luke started to say something, but Beck held up his hand to silence the actor.

As soon as Kayla was far away enough, Beck dropped his voice and spoke. "Okay, guys, here's the real story: Kayla has kidnapped Chris and Logan and is holding them hostage at the staff camp."

Everyone started to laugh.

"No," Ilyria suddenly said. "He's right. It lines up; Logan and Chris are suddenly out of commission with head colds at the same time?"

As the point came across, the laughter died.

Beck looked around. "I'm asking each of you, individually, to help me rescue them and take down Kayla. I've called the authorities, but who knows when they'll be there, and Kayla might harm the hostages if she sees them. So we have to act now. If anyone would like to step out, do so now."

No one said a word, not even Arianna, though she looked reluctant.

"Okay. I'd like to split us up into two groups. The first group, led by me, is going to sneak through the staff camp and retrieve the hostages. I'd like this group to be Nikki,"

Nikki's face lit up.

"Ruby,"

Ruby nodded resolutely as Nikki scowled.

"Michael, and Kevin."

Michael shrugged, while Kevin looked slightly nervous.

Beck addressed the rest of them. "The other group, you guys, will be going into the K'wala Caves. This will serve the double purpose of assuring Kayla that the challenge is still going on and allowing you to attempt to capture her. This group will be led by Ilyria,"

Ilyria was unsurprised.

"And will contain Luke, Arianna, Faith, and Addie."

There were mixed reactions, with Arianna and Addie seeming the least and most enthusiastic, respectively.

"We still have to do an elimination after this, so I'm willing to give immunity to the member of each team that contribute the most, decided by the captain."

Ilyria frowned, startled by this sudden responsibility.

Beck reached into a large bag. "I have a tranquilizer gun for everybody. Before you ask, Chris keeps bears in the staff camp 'for fun'. Also, Ilyria and I will have walkie-talkies."

Everyone split up into their teams.

"Once again, I thank you. If you want to do a confessional, go now, since you won't have another chance," Beck said.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- Cave Group

"Ugh! Beck! Why did you have to be so nosy? Now, instead of just risking myself, we're risking the entire group… and now I can't reveal my identity or my gadgets! Worse still, Faith is on my team, and she might be a traitor!"

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- Cave Group

"This whole 'fake-kidnapping' thing? Bull. This is just an excuse for a challenge… one that is rigged against me. Great. So I'm not winning immunity today. No matter; I'll still pull off the vote with this advantage."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- Cave Group

"Great. I'm on a team with Ilyria, after the dinner with whom I haven't been able to spend five minutes within fifty metres. Then again…"

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Cave Group

"Honestly, what on earth happened while I was gone?"

* * *

Confessional: Faith- Cave Group

"I bet that watch would have come in handy. Wait a sec… is this why Ilyria wanted it so bad? But wouldn't that mean…"

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- Camp Group

"Of course _Ruby's_ on my team, that rotten boy-stealing meanie!"

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Camp Group

"This is… eerily similar to a past experience… one that I hoped I'd never repeat. Let's hope that I'm not thrown off my game when a challenge is at stake."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- Camp Group

"I sure hope nobody gets hurt… I really don't like it when people get hurt."

* * *

Confessional: Michael- Camp Group

"This is a challenge, and little more. I don't know why everyone's freaking out so much. This is not a matter of life-and-death."

* * *

"All right; let's go," Beck said. His group, consisting of Ruby, Nikki, Kevin, and Michael, went east while Ilyria's group went into the cave.

Beck's team walked in silence.

"...This is just a challenge, right?" Kevin asked Beck. "We're only doing this for immunity, and no one's in danger. Right?"

Beck's silence spoke volumes.

"...Come on guys," Kevin looked around for support. "It's just a weird fake scenario. It's just a HOLY CRAP HE'S GOT A GUN!"

"Shh!" Beck clapped a hand around Kevin's mouth and saw where he was pointing. Indeed, there was a burly intern, with a gun in its holster.

"It's a tranquilizer, part of the standard equipment for an intern!" Beck hissed. "We don't have time for this! Pull yourself together!"

Kevin looked sheepish. "I'm really sorry. This is just… surreal. It's reminding me of my past. I'll keep it under lock and key.

"Good," Beck muttered.

They continued to walk.

"...So," Nikki said, sidling up to Beck. "...are you dating anyone?..."

Michael and Kevin simultaneously facepalmed.

Beck looked confused at the bluntness. "No… I'm unattached as of right now… but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't someone I had my eye on."

Nikki gasped lightly. "Oh… okay… cool…"

She slunk back to her spot sullenly. "Don't talk to me!" she snapped at Ruby.

"Wasn't going to…" Ruby said defensively.

"Good," Nikki sulked.

"Get down!" Michael suddenly hissed. "Someone's coming this way!"

Everyone flattened to the ground and rolled away just as another intern walked past, humming a popular tune. She paused right in front of the team's hiding spot, a largish bush. She slowly crouched. "Wait a sec-"

A dart hit her forehead, and she toppled. Everyone turned to see Kevin release a shaky breath, his raised gun trembling. "Help me roll her into the bush. How long until this stuff wears off?"

Beck looked at him with concern. "Enough time for us. Are you okay?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, I- LOOK OUT!"

As a beefy intern came at them, gun raised, he shoved Beck and Nikki simultaneously out of the way, followed by Michael, and then Ruby. Kevin rolled away last, watching as Beck got the guard.

"That was a close one," Beck breathed. "Are we good?"

Ruby slumped over, asleep, with a dart in her arm.

"I'll take that as a _no,_ then," Beck sighed, hoisting a ragdoll-like Ruby onto his shoulder. "Let's keep moving."

They trudged on. Soon enough…

"There it is," Beck breathed. "The staff camp. There aren't a lot of interns there, right now at least, but there has to be at least ten, and any of them could be on Kayla's payroll. We'll have to shoot them all, to stay on the safe side."

The three conscious contestants nodded.

"Last I checked, the hostages were in the infirmary tent, which is on the other side of camp. We could sneak through or around," Beck explained.

Michael raised a hand. "You and Nikki- the athletic ones of the four- should try and charge through. Kevin and I, since we'd only slow you down, will sneak around the back, especially since the interns will want to move in the direction of the noise."

"I'm in favour of this," Kevin agreed.

"...Me too…" Nikki said, looking at Beck's sweaty tee-shirt.

"Let's do it," Beck confirmed.

"Give us five minutes, then go," Michael ordered. He and Kevin started to make their way around the camp.

The boys moved silently. Once, they had to duck behind a tree.

"...So what were you talking about, what with how this reminds you of things?" Michael asked in a whisper.

Kevin shook his head. "It's kind of personal. But… yeah, it involves guns."

Michael shook his head. "I'm with you, man. My life has sucked from the day my parents died."

"Sorry," Kevin muttered. "I can't imagine losing my mom."

"I never really met them, you know. But I always had that… that…" Michael suddenly swayed, and fell.

Kevin swore and jumped out of the way, shooting the attacker, who fell.

"...I guess it's just me now…" Kevin muttered.

He rolled Michael's unconscious body away.

"...This is ludicrous…" Kevin shook his head. "...and unsafe…"

He finally reached the tent.

"I can do this… I can do this…" Kevin repeated, reaching for the zipper.

"Kevin?" Beck's voice came out.

Kevin jumped three feet in the air.

Beck slowly crept around, his hands raised. He noticed Kevin was alone. "They got Michael?"

"Yep. Nikki?"

"Here," Nikki popped her head out from behind the tent.

"Let's do this then," Beck reaches for the zipper and slowly brought it down.

He opened the tent...

Kevin gasped. "Oh no… oh no no no…"

Beck slowly reached for his walkie-talkie.

* * *

"Could I keep this?" Luke asked, flipping his dart gun through the air as the group walked toward the cave.

"No," everyone said at the same time.

"Just the darts?" Luke pined.

"The thought of you with a gun scares me more than the fact that we're attempting to take down a super villain," Addie quipped. "Just saying."

"That's fair. Oh! Now we're at the cave!" Like announced.

"Right," Ilyria nodded. "First things first."

She instantly shot Faith in the back with her dart gun. She fell without a word.

Addie spluttered. "Uh… what?"

"I have reason to believe Faith is helping the enemy," Ilyria stated as she left her behind.

"Ooh! Spy-y!" Luke clapped his hands together.

"Idiot," Arianna muttered under his breath.

"Um, rude!" Luke snapped his fingers. "I'm trying to lighten the mood!"

"We're chasing a psycho. The mood does not deserve to be lightened," Arianna scowled.

"Fine…" Luke crossed his arms.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then:

"Dun dun dun dun," Luke started singing a spy song. "Dun dun dooby dooby DUN DUN DUN-"

"That's it," Arianna said, before shooting him.

Luke fell with a massive thump.

"Stop shooting teammates!" Ilyria hissed.

"Liabilities," Arianna corrected. "He was no good for us."

"Doesn't matter," Ilyria shot back. "The first rule: work together, not against."

"...Of what?" Addie asked.

"What?" Ilyria asked, peering around a corner.

"The first rule of what?" Addie elaborated.

"Of… my personal code…" Ilyria made up.

"Your personal-" Arianna shook her head in bewilderment. "If you know something that can help us, you'd better speak up."

Ilyria sighed. "It's not about what I know… it's about what I can do."

"Well," Addie suddenly dropped his voice to a whisper. "Whatever it is, you'd better do it, because Kayla's right around the corner. And she's got company."

"Company?" Ilyria repeated. Then she saw for herself. "Oh no…"

Kayla sat, polishing a clean black weapon. Beside her, Logan and Chris stood, gagged and tied. A single guard stood watch.

"This is bad…" Addie clenched his fist.

It was then that her walkie talkie buzzed loudly. " _Ilyria! The hostages are gone! I think Kayla-"_

A panicked Ilyria muted the sound, but it was far too late.

Kayla turned around to face the trio. "Ah, I'm glad you arrived. Did you honestly think I was unaware of these shenanigans?"

She snapped her fingers. "Shoot the boy and the pretty girl."

Instantly, the guard did. Thankfully, only darts came out of the gun, but Addie and Arianna fell like stones.

The guard turned to shoot Ilyria, but Kayla held up a hand. "This one I can handle myself. Keep the gun on her. No, Boris, the _real_ one."

The guard swiftly exchanged his armament for a more sinister looking one.

Kayla stalked over and slowly traced a finger over Ilyria's cheek.

"Hello, agent H0136. It's me, your old friend."

Ilyria made no move. She slowly moved her hand toward her gun.

Kayla laughed. "Of course, I doubt you'd recognize me. Reconstructive surgery and all. But don't tell me you don't recognize my voice, honey. You've suspected it for a while."

Ilyria nodded. "Agent H0151. Pseudonym Morgan McPherson. Joined the HAP three years and two months ago. Was relieved of badge one year and six months ago for plotting to assassinate Chris McLean."

"And…?" Morgan said expectantly.

"And a close personal friend, who I stood against in court," Ilyria finished.

"Ding ding!" Morgan smiled. "Would you like to know what happened next?"

Ilyria stood stock still.

"Morgan McPherson was sent to jail, where she was savagely abused by her fellow prisoners. Of course, _real_ jail was too good for her. She was sent to a minimum-security prison, where she escaped, solely vowed on the torment of two very specific people: Chris McLean and Ilyria Song," Morgan smiled. "Luckily for me, they're in the same place!"

Ilyria gritted her teeth. "You'll never get away with this."

Morgan laughed. "At the risk of sounding cliche, who's going to stop me?"

Suddenly, Boris the security guard hit the floor with a solid _THUMP._

"At the risk of sounding cliche, us," Kevin, smirked. He, Nikki, and Beck all stood at different places in the cave, guns pointed at Morgan.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "I'm immune to the serum, idiots. I made it."

Beck bit his lip. "Oh, yeah. Right."

Another Boris-size guard forcibly ushered them over to where Chris and Logan were situated.

"I was afraid I'd have to do this," Morgan sighed dramatically.

She gestured to a giant cage in the room. "I should probably mention, inside that cage is a time bomb. In about five minutes, it's going to rip through us like plasticine. And it can only be deactivated with one HAP issued deactivatior. Unfortunately, since none of you have one…"

She looked at Ilyria and dropped her voice so only the girls. "It's a shame. If you were to use a deactivator, you'd be charged by the HAP for betraying secrets. You'll be fired just like I was. But if you don't, you'll have several innocents'- and my- death on your hands. You'll survive, of course. You have the gadgets to do so. But they won't."

Morgan smiled. "Ilyria, chum, it's time to make a choice."

"Run," Kevin shouted. "Save yourself!"

Ilyria looked at the hostages. Then at Morgan. Then at the bomb. Then back to Morgan.

She barked out a laugh.

"You haven't changed one bit," Ilyria smirked. She instantly went over to the time bomb and started to rummage around in her bag.

"Oh, yes I have," Morgan replied. "Kill the tiny girl first," she snapped at her guard,

The guard wheeled around, gun raised.

Ilyria was too far away. She couldn't make it in time.

Nikki cowered as she stared down the barrel of a loaded gun.

The guard smirked.

"No!" Kevin launched himself at the guard's gun hand. He wrenched the weapon away as it went off towards the roof. "You're never hurting Lana again!"

Kevin kicked the guard in the kiwis and down he went. The normally passive writer delivered a flurry of blows to his face and chest. He punched with each word. "You're! Not! Hurting! Lana! You! Selfish! Sordid! Excuse! For! A! Stepdad!"

The guard fell unconscious. Kevin stood, gun in hand, and pointed it directly at Morgan. "Nikki, hostages."

Nikki stared at Kevin, and then the unconscious guard. She scurried over to free Chris and Logan.

Ilyria disabled the time bomb. "To hell with the consequences. I prefer it when my friends don't die."

"But you're okay with letting me rot in a cell?" Morgan spat, her hands on her head.

"I said friends," Ilyria glared at her.

"You haven't won!" Morgan suddenly launched herself at Beck.

Kevin almost fired the gun but hesitated. He stared at the weapon in hand.

Morgan pulled a needle out of her pocket. "Poison, darling?"

Beck lay on the ground, struggling. He shied away from the needle.

"Aieee!" Nikki launched herself at Morgan.

The shy girl slapped the super villain. "That's for hurting the boy I like!" She slapped her again. "That's for trying to kill everyone!" She slapped her a third time. "That one just felt right in the moment!"

Ilyria was able to restrain Morgan then with a rope, struggle as she may.

"This ain't over!" Morgan shouted, unable to move.

Logan strolled over, looking pale and abused. "You know what? I think we're breaking up."

Morgan screamed.

Chris flexed as he stood. "Muscles are as good as ever, baby! The hair… not so much."

As if on cue, the others arrived, looking disoriented and bewildered. On the floor, Addie and Arianna began to wake up.

"Did we win?" Addie asked drowsily, staggering.

"Yes, Addie," Ilyria said. "We won."

Luke slowly raised a finger to point at Ilyria. "Who are you?"

"Yeah…" Ruby took a half-step back.

Ilyria sighed. "I was hoping I could mind-wipe you all, but I don't have enough charges. Very well. You ask me who I am?"

She stood up straight. "I am a defender of all people, regardless of who they appear to be. I am everywhere and in everything you do. I am proud to say that I have stopped countless crime, up to and including this attempted suicide bombing. I am Ilyria Song of the HAP…"

She paused as she thought about it.

"...and I've probably been fired for telling you all this," she finished, looking unregretful.

"Hell yeah she is!" Addie came over and raised her arm like she had won a boxing match. "Remember that moment where you eventually reveal everything in some dramatic fashion? I think this is that moment. And, now that we have no secrets and you're fired… would it be too forward to ask you out?"

Ilyria smirked. "Not at all."

And he did. Everyone smiled, even Arianna.

Logan clapped his hands together. "What do you say, Chris? Should we do what we do best?"

Chris nodded. "Let's kick someone off this {CENSORED} island!"

"Wait…" Beck paused. He turned to Nikki. "Did you say… when you were beating up Morgan, that is… that I was-"

"Yes," Nikki nodded. "Look. I understand that you like Ruby and that we can never be together but I just had to say that I really really like you and that I wish we were together more often just so I can be around you!" She said this all in one breath.

Beck raised an eyebrow. "You think I like Ruby?"

Nikki nodded. "Yes…"

Ruby burst out laughing. "Well, I should hope not! Nikki, dude, I'm _gay_."

"And that person I have my eye on," Beck smiled. "Is you."

Nikki's eyes widened. "Me? For real?"

Beck nodded sheepishly. "We can't do anything about it while you're competing and I'm an intern… but look me up once you're eliminated."

Nikki smiled wide. "I will!"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Anything else?"

Beck thought about it. "We have to give out immunity… does everyone agree that it should be Kevin and Ilyria?"

No one argued.

"Then that," he turned to Chris, "Is all I have to say."

Chris nodded. "Beck. I need you to promote someone to new co-head intern. Logan, you're handling the ceremony, and I," Chris looked away, misty eyed. "I will need three tubes of hair gel, at least. Let's get a move on!

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Addie and Ilyria finally got together! Yeah! Now we just have to get Faith and Kevin together for the clean sweep, but hey, if Kevin can beat up a six-foot bodyguard, surely he can ask a girl out… right?"

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"The challenge has ended. Luckily, my target did not win immunity, so we shall be saying goodbye to-"

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"From what I was told, Ilyria shot me in the back seconds after we went in the cave. _Seriously?_ You thought I was against you? Although, I kind of was… unintentionally, though!"

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"I'm on cloud nine right now! Nothing could bring me down!"

* * *

 _Night 16_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave: Merge (Immunity: Ilyria and Kevin)**_

"Well, hello, there, merged players!" Logan greeted cheerfully.

"Hi!" Luke waved excitedly.

"Not much to say, I don't think," Logan shrugged. "And, I'm tired and sick. We're just going to cast votes right off the crack. As always, alphabetical order, so Addie, you're up first."

Addie looked surprised at the speed at which the ceremony was progressing. "Okay, then."

He went up to vote. "Since Arianna didn't win immunity, well, my vote is obvious."

Arianna was next. "Michael had better not be lying…"

Faith was after her. She wrote down a name quickly before sitting.

Ilyria was next. "I wish I could have gotten rid of Luke this time, but that is not how an alliance works."

Kevin was next. "Easy vote. Good day, Arianna."

Luke was after him. He began to write down a name but stopped. He crossed the name out and wrote a different one.

Michael was up then. He smirked. "No one's going to see this coming, least of all you."

Nikki was second-to-last. "I can finally get Arianna out!"

Ruby was last. "Oh… do I go with Michael? Kevin did include me in his alliance too…"

She wrote down a name and returned.

"I'll go tally the votes," Logan announced.

As he left, everyone looked around. Faith patted Ruby on the back. "We're finally putting Arianna behind us!"

Ruby smiled. "I hope so."

Logan returned. "If anyone has an advantage of any kind and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

All eyes turned to Arianna.

Arianna smirked. "I-"

"I would like to play these extra votes!" Luke interrupted. He ran over and gave Logan two slips of paper.

"Do so," Logan stated.

Kevin spluttered. "He has _two?_ "

Addie frowned. "Oh, yeah. Abigail mentioned that. I guess I forgot to mention it."

Kevin sighed. "It doesn't matter. That's still only five votes to our six."

Luke returned from voting. He tapped Arianna on the shoulder.

"What?" Arianna asked.

"Save the advantage for when you need it," Luke warned in a whisper.

"...I will not be playing my advantage," Arianna announced. "This had better work," she muttered to Luke.

"It will."

Logan nodded, content. "I'll now read the votes. The first vote goes to… Arianna."

"The second to Arianna."

"The third to Arianna."

"The fourth to Arianna."

Logan read these over to be sure. "That's four votes Arianna."

Arianna shook her head. "Un-freaking-believable."

Logan slowly unfolded the next piece of paper. "The fifth vote… is for Arianna. If one more vote is against you, that means goodbye."

The host, agonizingly slowly, unfolded the sixth paper. "The next vote…"

…

…

…

…

…

"Nikki," Logan read solemnly. "Five votes Arianna, one vote Nikki."

Nikki looked confused. Kevin put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, we've still got a majority."

"The next vote… Nikki. As is the one after that. That's three votes Nikki, five votes Arianna."

Logan breathed out. "The next vote… Nikki. Four votes Nikki."

Nikki shook her head. "Oh no…"

Kevin clenched his fist. "No. We have the majority." He sounded like her was trying to reassure himself.

"The fifth vote… Nikki," Logan read. "Five votes Arianna, five for Nikki, one vote left."

Nikki looked like she was going to cry.

Arianna tried to keep an aura of confidence, but she betrayed nerves as well.

Logan read the last vote. "We do not have a tied vote. The tenth person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"...Nikki," Logan finished, showing everyone the final vote. Beside Nikki's name, it read _Kevin's allied with a traitor!_

Nikki fell to her knees. "...No!..." She started to cry.

Kevin helped her up. "I'm sorry, Nikki."

Nikki shook her head. "...No…"

Arianna breathed a sigh of relief.

Nikki wobbled over to Logan, still crying.

Logan looked at the shy girl. "Nikki, I'm genuinely sorry to say, you've finished this game in ninth place."

Nikki said nothing as she left.

Kevin looked at the others, specifically Faith, Addie, Ilyria, and Ruby. "Whichever one of you betrayed Nikki, sleep with one eye open. I promise I'll be writing one of your names down next."

Logan surveyed the group. "You eight. Get some rest, and get ready for your next challenge. You guys are safe."

The group departed.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I'm ticked. One of our own betrayed Nikki? Well, all I can say is that what goes around comes around."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I think I made a colossal mistake. If I'm not careful… well, I'd prefer to win…"

* * *

Logan turned to face the camera. "What a dramatic episode! Unfortunately, I'm behind, so I can't raise any questions. Instead, I bid you adieu until next time on…"

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"The Curse of K'wala!"

* * *

Final Confessional: Nikki- 9th Place

"...I guess I'm out…" Nikki frowned. "...I guess I get to see Abigail again, so that's good… And I can find Beck! That's good news! Why didn't I leave this place sooner?"

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Addie voted for… Arianna_

 _Arianna voted for… Nikki_

 _Faith voted for… Arianna_

 _Ilyria voted for… Arianna_

 _Kevin voted for… Arianna_

 _Luke voted for… Nikki_

 _Luke voted for… Nikki (Extra Vote)_

 _Luke voted for… Nikki (Extra Vote)_

 _Michael voted for… Nikki_

 _Nikki voted for… Arianna_

 _Ruby voted for… Nikki_

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed the ending to Ilyria's agent plot… or is it? I can't say much more about that, but do I ever want to talk about two big things: The hasty Luke/Michael/Arianna/Ruby alliance and my choice of eliminatee and how it was foreshadowed.**

 **What is the dynamic of that alliance? Here's how I'm writing it. Michael is the one making the decisions in the group. He is individually talking to Ruby, Luke, and Arianna for input, but never keeping them together for fear of conflict, or worse, that they'll usurp his power. Thus, both Arianna and Luke were prepared to play advantages in order to get Nikki out.**

 **But why Nikki? I hope you weren't too off-put by my change in the style of foreshadowing. Usually, I present a number of reasons, and the characters select their target based upon this. This time, there was no doubt in anyone's mind (anyone being Michael's alliance) who they wanted to choose, and yet we're left with an interesting question: Why? This will all be revealed in a future chapter, but all I can say is: Maybe Michael made a mistake.**

 **The next chapter is not an episode of the competition, but rather an eliminated players episode. I will say right now that NO ONE IS RETURNING TO THE COMPETITION. However, the episode will feature a 'challenge' that could deliver a different prize.**

 **Thanks for reading! For your reviews, I'd really like you to focus on how I can improve, so I can deliver a better experience overall.**

 **(BTW, I'm aware that there was no curse. I simply didn't have a way to implement it).**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipient: None**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**


	12. Input Requested!

_Hey Thunder Squad! Remember how I mentioned how the next episode was going to feature eliminated contestants?_

 _Well, I forgot to mention the fact that those contestants are being asked questions in an interview style format. And you guys are submitting the questions! Do so in the following format._

 _ **Name: Question**_

 _For example:_

 _ **Spencer: Why did you throw the final twelve challenge, when you could have won it for the team?**_

 _It would be nice if you did one per contestant, but I can't force you._

 _Now, I wasn't going to mention this until the next chapter, but:_

 _I need interns. Lots of interns._

 _Remember how Beck was tasked with finding the next co-head of the interns? Well, the running gag (spoiler alert) is that all of them will be fired by the end of the episode in which they star. Here's what I need._

 ** _Name (or Nickname):_**

 ** _Personality:_**

 ** _Preferred Story Line (Optional, may not be used):_**

 _This isn't going to be first-come, first-serve. Heck, I probably won't even tell you when your intern is accepted, so if you want yours in, make your intern's personality as detailed and specific as possible!_

 _ **I'd prefer if you posted both of these in the reviews, but a PM will also work.**_

 _ **Thanks! See you at the next update!**_


	13. Total Recap Island With Johnny Falcon

**To my faithful reviewers:**

 **La Rossa Rosa- I'm glad you love it as much as I do!**

 **CreeperGav- Well, we already talked a bit about Nikki, but I'll thank you once again for your honesty. Hopefully, this chapter helps a bit.**

 **TotalDramaFan04- Yes indeed, Nikki's fan appeal was what kept her so long (though in retrospect it may have been too long- doing it again I would put Connie in 9th, Nikki in 13th and Renee in 15th). I can't spoil about Michael but I'll drop another vague, unspecific hint: Maybe Nikki's sociality was overestimated.**

 **Beastboycoolman15- I'm glad you're glad! I feel like the signs were either pointing to Nikki or Addie going home for anyone who was thinking about it as they went through and picking up on small hints. The wait to see the eliminated campers is over, and it is with great pleasure that I bring you this chapter.**

 **IndianaGamerGirl- Thanks for the looooong review :) I'm both happy that we have similar opinions about the eliminated players and happy that you were surprised. I'm also really glad that you like the portrayal of your characters! (Also, in the tent? Nothing. That's why Beck was so surprised; he was expecting Chris and Logan to be there.)**

 **Candela Monsoon- The thing is, I wanted to surprise people with the eliminations. That's why Nikki was planned to go home second when the shy girl usually makes the top five, that's why Abigail, possibly in the best position game wise, was blindsided, and that's why John, the nice guy, only placed seventeenth. I'm kind of curious as to who you're voting for but I have a vague idea :)**

 **Obikinoah- Thanks! And Prince of Thunder is a perfectly acceptable nickname. (Though when you read it it should be Prince… OF THUNDER!) Also, after watching the recent survivor eppy, Angela's my new fave. Anyone who can eat a whole sea slug and single-handedly turn the whole tribe against one person has my vote.**

 **Enjoy this recap chapter! Or should I call it a re-chap? (I'm pathetic)**

* * *

"Good evening, fans of Total Drama!" A man who bore a striking (but not copyright-infringing) resemblance to a certain talk show host stood on what appeared to be a wooden dock. Behind him was a large woven hut.

"I'm Johnny Falcon, from _The Today Show with Johnny Falcon!_ I'm here from the K'wala Islands for one purpose: to present to you a fun-filled program highlighting some very special individuals from a very special hit-reality show."

He flourished his hands with bravado. "I am, of course, speaking of none other than Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala, which my close personal friend Chris hosts!"

Johnny chuckled. "Ten teenagers have already been eliminated from this show. Now, we take a look at those players, and have them compete for a crowd-funded consolation prize!"

"All of this, right here, right now on…" Johnny paused for effect.

" _Total Recap Island_!"

* * *

Johnny waved his hand to the camera. "Well, come on in! What are you waiting for?"

Without turning around, he continued to speak. "All ten of the eliminated contestants- Connor, John, Janson, Connie, Madeline, Renee, Drew, Spencer, Abigail, and Nikki- have been sent here, to Oord Island, where they've been staying since their eliminations. It's a lovely place to be- hopefully to make up for their devastating defeats," Johnny allowed himself a small chuckle before continuing.

"And now," he said, reaching for the door, "It's time to meet the players! Let's go inside."

Johnny opened the door and the camera moved inside to show the entirety of the room he was in.

The whitewashed walls had a faint pink tinge, with multitudes of flowers in both paintings and vases scattered across the foyer. The wooden floor had a rustic appearance to it. In the back corner, there was a refrigerator. Off to the left, there were two hallways- rooms, as it appeared, since one was marked 'Guys' and the other 'Gals'. On to the right, standing there with a polite expression, there was-

"Renee Delaney, ace reporter, at your service," the reporter smirked. "Mr. Falcon, I assume?"

Johnny smiled. "You can call me Johnny. You were informed I was coming?"

"Yes," Renee agreed. "Nikki delivered the message as she came. Now hurry! The showcase is starting!"

"The wha-" Johnny couldn't form a coherent question before Renee was leading him down the main hallway. "Where are you going?" He protested.

"The showcase!" Renee repeated, tugging on Johnny's sleeve to get him to move faster. "...Ah, here we are."

Renee had taken Johnny back outside to a patio, which contained a pool, a hot tub, and several lounge chairs, several of which were filled with contestants, including Connor, Drew and Spencer (sitting far from one another), Abigail, and Nikki.

"Hey!" Drew called out from where he was seated. He wore sunglasses and was sipping juice out of a coconut. "Is this the host guy? Ronny, or whatever?"

"Johnny," Johnny immediately corrected. "Now what am I-"

"Just take a seat," Abigail smiled. "And watch the show."

"...Please…" Nikki added on quietly.

"Oh, all right," Johnny grumbled.

Renee rushed around the corner of the patio. "You guys can start; we're all here!"

"Even Madeline?" Janson's voice called back.

"Almost everyone," Renee amended. "We have a special guest, so let's make it a good one!"

"Okay," Janson said. "Let's go!"

He marched out into the open. "Good afternoon everyone! Today's showcase is a battle between two of our favorites: Connie and John!"

The audience clapped politely.

"Without further adieu," Janson said, and then paused for further adieu. "John has won the coin toss and has elected to go first. Singing an original song, let's give it up for John!"

Janson moved away as John came out, holding a guitar.

"Hey everyone," John said self-consciously. "One, two, three four."

He started strumming a series of chords in a moderate pace. After four bars, he opened his mouth and sang.

" _It's late, I stare at my phone,_

 _I wish you'd come home; yeah, come home._

 _I made, I made a mistake,_

 _When I let you go; yeah, let you go._

 _And I, I want you so bad,_

' _Cause you drive me mad; yeah, drive me mad._

 _But blame, blame it on me,_

' _Cause I couldn't see, all your beauty."_

Johnny was slowly moving his head to the song. John burst into the chorus.

" _Look._

 _She meant nothing, no, she meant nothing, no, she meant nothing to me!_

 _Look._

 _She was begging, and I was digging it, maybe I had two or three; too much but-_

 _Look._

 _I want to spend all my life_

 _With you, right there, by my side, so_

 _Look._

 _Take all the time, I'd wait all my life, but please just come back to me!"_

John played a few bars on his guitar.

"Wow," Johnny muttered. "He's good." He turned to Nikki, who was beside him. "How often do you do these?"

"I don't know…" Nikki replied. "...I just got here…"

John resumed singing.

" _I drive, I drive to your home._

 _Should I even try? Or should I just go?_

 _I stand, I stand at the door._

 _But I turn around, won't try anymore."_

He went into the chorus once again.

" _Look._

 _She meant nothing, no, she meant nothing, no, she meant nothing to me!_

 _Look._

 _She was begging, and I was digging it, maybe I had two or three; too much but-_

 _Look._

 _I want to spend all my life_

 _With you, right there, by my side, so_

 _Look._

 _Take all the time, I'd wait all my life, but please just come back to me!"_

John ended the song on a dramatic chord. Then he stood and bowed, before exiting the stage to tumultuous applause.

"Thank you, John!" Janson said, clapping politely.

"Let's keep going! Next up, it's Connie with a new comedy performance!" Janson stood off to the side as Connie came out, laughing and waving.

"Hey everyone!" Connie waved excitedly. "All right. All right. Let's talk about something right now: Bunk beds."

Everyone leaned in to some degree, eager with anticipation.

"Honestly. My dad got my brother one of those loft beds? You know, those beds with a desk underneath? It was all part of his master plan, to make sure that my brother never brought a girl home."

Everyone laughed.

Connie gave a dopey grin. "Because honestly, how is my brother going to show off his room? ' _Yeah, this is my room. Over here's my loft bed'._ " She said this in a really 'macho' voice. "' _Y'see, if I want to sleep, I can climb this nifty ladder here. And if I want to cry about the fact that my own father got be a freaking loft bed, well, there's this desk space over here!'"_

The reaction was raucous laughter.

"Another thing. Who really wants a bed with a ladder? Think about it. What do you gain? Maybe it's for the little bold part of us. ' _Uh-huh. My bed's five feet in the air. Yeah. If I somehow rolled over the huge guard rail, I could fall and bruise my tailbone. Yessiree, I'm a rebel.'"_ Connie nodded exaggeratedly.

"The only thing that's worse than a loft bed is a water bed. Who thought of that anyway? ' _Hey, I have an idea. You know those soft, feathery mattresses we lay on?' 'Yeah I do! I love those things!' 'Okay, okay. So what if, instead of feathers, or foam, we dumped a gallon of water into a weird sack in a frame?'_ I'm fully convinced that the original purpose of the water bed was to double as an aquarium."

Everyone laughed as Connie mimed a fish swimming in a bed. Johnny was among the loudest.

"I'm telling you, water beds are fun and games until you're watching the class' pet hedgehog."

This was clearly the climactic joke, and everyone applauded at the end when Connie bowed. "Thank you everyone!"

Janson walked to the forefront of the performance area. "Let's bring John back on stage for the vote!"

John returned, and he stood beside Connie.

Janson nodded to the five people in the audience. "It's time to cast your vote. We'll go left to right. State the name of the person you want to win. Connor?"

Connor, who was sitting on the left, smiled. "Both of my worldly siblings' performances were good. But I vote Connie."

Connie smiled.

"Mr. Falcon?" Janson prompted.

Johnny smiled. "I'm honoured to be a special guest for this. They were both wonderful, but I'm siding with my fellow John."

John put his hands together and declined his head slightly.

"Nikki?"

"...John…" Nikki said. John gave her a gracious glance.

"Abigail?"

Abigail glared at Janson. She said nothing. Then she turned to Connie. "I vote for you."

Connie gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks!"

Janson looked over at Drew and Spencer. "Need I even ask? Spencer's going to vote for Connie, and Drew's just going to vote for the opposite of Spencer."

"Yep," Drew agreed.

"Y-yep," Spencer agreed. It was then that Johnny noticed that he had no tape on, among other things.

"And Renee," Janson said to the reporter.

Renee inhaled. "Well, both performances are good. I have some criticisms here," everyone groaned. "John, your tune was catchy, but I think your lyrics need to be more relevant. And Connie, you should work on your facial expression. With that in mind, I choose…"

"...John," she finally said.

Everyone burst into applause as John stepped forward and bowed. Connie was among the loudest.

"John wins!" Janson announced. "That makes… four showcase wins?"

"Only three," John corrected. "It's probably because I've been here the second-longest."

"A win's a win," Janson figured.

Johnny Falcon slowly stood up. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"

All of the present contestants- everyone except Madeline- turned to face him.

"We're compiling an eliminates players episode, so I'll be coming around to ask you all some questions today. That's all. Connor, since you went here first, do you want to go first?"

"Yeah, brother," Connor agreed.

Everyone else left, to do what they normally did.

"Let's start out with the standard questions that I'll be asking everyone. First, Connor, how do you think you fared in the game?"

Connor smiled. "Well, brother, though my elimination was an utter betrayal, I feel I have achieved my goal of spreading hippieism throughout the nation."

"Hippieism?" Johnny repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a word," Connor ensured the host. "Though I can _clearly_ tell from your strawberry vibe that you just don't believe me. That's okay, man. We all have our faults."

"That much is true, I suppose. Now, how have you enjoyed your time here on Oord Island?"

Connor smiled. "Man, it was bitter being the first one out. But John and Janson came along and things lightened up. And, of course, Renee."

"What about her?" Johnny inquired.

"Dude, haven't you heard?" Connor's eyes widened. "We're dating!"

The host was clearly unprepared for this, and it showed on his face. "Wait, what? You all but swore never to speak to her again after she voted you out!"

The hippie shrugged. "What can I say? I lost my _chi_ in the moment. We made up, and we're happy."

"Wow," Johnny shook his head. "All right. We have some fan-submitted questions for you. First of all, who do blame for your elimination?"

Connor's face momentarily darkened. "Ilyria. She was antisocial, she was out before I was in the challenge, and yet people still had the nerve to side with her!" He raised his fist.

Johnny was taken aback. "Woah, don't take it out on me. I'm just asking the questions." Once Connor calmed down, he continued. "Another fan asked: What should you have done in the game in order for you to not become first boot?"

Connor shrugged. "I think what killed me in the long run was a lack of sleep. Had I slept, I could have easily won the challenge, brother, and had more time to search for an advantage in the two-day break between challenges."

"Interesting," Johnny said to himself. "John's up next. Where would I find him?"

Connor thought about it. "Check the game room. He and Spencer like to hang out there."

"Thanks," Johnny stood.

"No problem, brother," Connor smirked. He picked up a glass from the side table and started to spin it.

Johnny travelled quickly. "Game room… game room... " He froze. "Where is the game room, anyway?"

"Take two lefts and go straight," Connie advised, walking by. "Tell Spencer I said hello."

"Will do," Johnny promised, revising his course in order to go to the proper destination. Soon, he was at the game room, as proclaimed by a closed door with a sign.

There were several couches throughout the room, set up around tables with half-finished board games. Manual pinball machines lined the walls. In the center, around an air hockey table, stood John and Spencer.

"Goal!" Spencer proclaimed victoriously as he scored a point. "Oh, hey, J-Johnny."

"Howdy. Connie says hello," Johnny greeted. "Also, what's with the getup, or lack thereof?"

Spencer was wearing, of all things, a blue hawaiian shirt with a flower lei. All of his normal makeup was gone, and his hair was styled in a man-bun.

A man-bun!

"Hey, I'm not c-competing anymore," Spencer explained. "There's n-no need to keep pretending for th-the cameras."

"We'll get to you soon," Johnny said. "But here's the man of the hour: Showcase winner John!"

John gave his signature shy smile. "'Sup?"

"Not much," Johnny admitted. "I'm just interviewing the eliminated contestants. Are you available?"

"Spencer's crushing me anyway," John laughed. "We'll pick this up in a minute, okay?"

"Yep," Spencer agreed. "He's all yours."

John and Johnny went over to a couch and sat.

"Let's begin," Johnny said. "First, how do you think you fared in the game?"

John shrugged. "Eh. Okay, I guess. I mean, I only got seventeenth, but I made friends and had fun, which is better than the million."

"Is it?" Johnny asked.

"No," the guitarist replied. "Not really. I guess you can't win them all."

"Truer words have been spoken, but with infrequency," Johnny agreed. "So, you enjoyed your time on the show. But how have you enjoyed things off the show- that is, her at Oord Island?"

"At first," John began, "When it was just Connor and I, things were a little slow. He doesn't like air hockey, you see," he chuckled. "When Janson came along, I was mad at him, but we made up, as you do, and the three of us started the showcase."

"Yes, what's that about?" Johnny eagerly pressed.

John idly brushed some dirt off his shirt. "Every day, two people compete against each other by showing off a talent. Not much, really. I won the first one, against Connor. It's kind of the highlight of everyone's day. Janson really enjoys it."

"I did notice he seemed a bit nicer than on television," Johnny pointed out.

"Janson's pretty… controllable. You just have to give him some veto power and he's content," John admitted.

"Neat," Johnny replied. "So, a few fans have submitted questions for you. Here's the first one: If your girlfriend was also competing at the show, would you help her win or take her down?"

John laughed. "I really doubt Sophia would want to play on a down-and-dirty show like this one. But if she did, we'd totally work together until the very end."

"Sweet," Johnny smiled. "Sophia's a lucky woman, I tell you."

"I'd like to think so, but I'm probably the lucky one of the two," John laughed.

"Next question: If you could tell one person on the show something, who would it be and what would you tell them?"

John thought about it. "I'd most likely talk to Michael, and say something along the lines of 'Don't give up! You're doing great!' Granted, I don't know how well he's doing, but Abigail told me that he was in an alliance with Ruby, so at least he's trying."

"That he is," Johnny replied. "Welp! That's everything I've got for you. Continue your air hockey battle."

John stood. "Do I even want to?" He joined Spencer and the two continued to play.

Johnny was just about to leave, when he remembered something. "Hey boys, where do you think Janson is?"

"Ch-check the dining room," Spencer said. "He hangs out th-there with D-D-Drew."

"Thanks, man bun," Johnny narrowly exited the game room as a paddle missed him by an inch.

"Now, I do remember where the dining room is," Johnny said to the camera. "Let's see if Spencer was right!"

Before the host entered the dining room, he heard a commotion.

"Ooh, shouting," Johnny smirked. "Let's listen in."

He pressed his ear against, as the cameraman clearly just opened the door and filmed the predicament.

"...would I believe you, you manipulative _imbécil_! All you've done is lie to me and now Madeline too!" Abigail shouted.

"You're right, I did lie to you and Madeline, but they were for entirely different and justifiable reasons-" Janson protested.

"Justifiable? JUSTIFIABLE? How on earth do you justify actively lying to a girl so much that she believes that everyone is a traitor to you?"

"Well, clearly she doesn't anymore!" Janson shouted. "Not after you arrived and told her everything-"

"I was doing the right thing!" Abigail yelled.

"She hasn't come out of her room since you told her! The only reason she's not starving to death is because I keep tossing food through her window!"

Abigail practically screamed. "UGH! You are insufferable, Janson Marlick!" Her stomps echoed throughout the dining room, growing quieter as she left.

Johnny walked in at that moment. "Hey, Janson!"

Janson, who had been facing the other way, jumped.

"Sorry," Johnny put in a facade of concern. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, no," Janson assured him. "Just… a minor disagreement."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

"Madeline," Janson admitted. "She's been secluded in her room ever since Abigail told her that I had been manipulating her."

Johnny, who already knew all this, frowned. "Weren't you?"

"Yes," Janson admitted. "However, I don't believe she should have told Madeline when they were staying an island that she's going to be on for the next two weeks."

"Fair," Johnny agreed. "I'm here for your interview. Want to sit?"

"Sure," Janson sat on a stool, as Johnny followed suit.

"All right. First up are the questions I've been asking everyone. How do you think you fared in the game?"

"Not as well as I should have done," Janson sighed. "I think, had I made it past that episode, I could have made it at least to the merge."

"Elaborate," Johnny prompted.

"Faith was going to be eliminated in my stead, correct? Well, she was swapped onto a team with Abigail and Drew. I think, had we eliminated Spencer early, the three of us could have moved into the merge as a unit."

"Interesting. It does seem that way," Johnny vaguely said. "How have you been enjoying your time here on Oord Island?"

Janson grinned. "It's wonderful. I originally believed John would be bitter about his elimination, but he's fine. While Madeline and Abigail are two dark spots, they can both be easily ignored in favour of this lax lifestyle."

"Abigail and you seemingly have tension," Johnny prompted.

"Tension?" Janson laughed. "You should have seen her when she first got here. She tried to stab me with a shrimp fork."

Johnny laughed. "That's not a sentence you hear every day. Moving on, some fans have submitted you questions."

"I'm ready," Janson rubbed his hands together.

"First of all, what made you break up with Abigail?" Johnny asked.

Janson sighed melodramatically. "I suppose I like being in control. Abigail, on the other hand, likes to have breathing room. Our personalities didn't mingle, and we drifted apart."

"Abigail stabbed you with a shrimp fork over 'drifting away'?" The host frowned.

"Almost stabbed," Janson corrected. "It might have also been because she cheated on me, and I got revenge."

Johnny looked surprised at this development. "Revenge?"

"Revenge," Janson agreed. When he wouldn't elaborate, Johnny continued.

"Our last question is: Did you take your relationship with Madeline seriously, or was it purely for the game?"

Janson swiveled around in his chair. "Honestly, Johnny, I'm unsure. Originally, Madeline was just an extra vote and a shield. Though… I will admit I grew close to her while one the show. Fat lot of good that'll do me now…" Janson grumbled. "So, to answer your question, at the time I took Madeline for granted and treated her as a purely strategic partner."

Johnny smiled. "That's all I have for you. What were you doing in here before Abigail came?"

Janson jutted his chin, pointing to some chopped vegetables on the counter. "Cooking."

"Well, I'll let you keep going," Johnny stood. "And where do you think Connie is?"

Janson shrugged. "She's one of the few who I've seen the least. You'll have to ask around."

"Will do," Johnny left the room.

Once he was out of earshot, the host thought aloud. "Connie walked past me earlier… towards the pool."

He continued down the hall. "Why would an island even need a pool?"

"No bugs or fish?" Renee appeared beside him.

"GAH!" Johnny jumped in the air. "Where did you come from?"

"I've been here for a while," Renee admitted. "I'm merely taking notes from your interviews to see how I can improve."

"That's… surprisingly honorable," Johnny said. "Well, hurry up, then."

Renee looked thrilled that she could willingly tag along. "Thank you, Mr. Falcon."

"Johnny, please," the host gave a signature smile. "So, Connor told me you two started dating."

Renee frowned as he turned a corner. "What? No, we aren't. In fact, I've barely spoken to him since we got here. I thought we made a non-verbal agreement to stay just that- non-verbal. You're not telling me he told you we're dating?

Johnny nodded. "Exactly that."

Renee clenched her fist. "Oh no… how many people has he told this to? Mr. Falcon, can I stick with you in case I run into Connor?"

He nodded. "Definitely. I don't want to miss this encounter."

"There's Connie," Renee pointed.

Johnny followed her gaze to see her and Abigail swimming in the pool. Nikki was also present, but lounging on the side.

"Let's go," Johnny said. He and Renee walked over.

"Connie?" Johnny asked.

"Howdy," she looked at him from the pool. "Is it my interview?"

"You got it," Johnny confirmed.

"Alright. Let me dry off, and I'll get to ya," Connie exited the pool and reached for a towel.

A few minutes later, she strode over.

"Ready?" The host asked.

"Ready," Connie agreed. She stretched out on a chair.

"I'll start with some questions that I'm everyone's being asked. First, how do you think you fared in the game?" Johnny asked.

Connie shrugged. "Well, the score really says it all. Fifteenth isn't great, especially when people like Drew and Renee lasted longer than me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Renee accused.

"Nothing," Connie waved her concerns away. "But I feel like I made a noticeable impact, especially with my no-alliances rule… up until the one vote where I trusted Luke and got my butt kicked."

"Yes, Luke does seem to have a poor track record with turning on people. Connor, Renee, you, of course," Johnny mentioned.

Connie shook her head. "Honestly, he seemed so nice… and then he just started to spiral out of control. If what the others say is true.. Well…"

"Indeed," Johnny agreed. "Next, then, is how are you enjoying your time here on Oord Island?"

Connie smiled. "It's been great! I have a whole squad of people to test my jokes on, and none of them can escape! MWAHAHA!"

Johnny looked at her funny.

"But in all honesty, John and I have made some connections. He's a good friend. And then Spencer came, and he stopped playing his character, and we finally got to be… normal, I guess? When you're on a reality show, you always have to look and sound the part, or else you'll get edited out. But here? We can both just be together."

"Kind of ironic to say that when he's not around," Johnny noted.

"I guess," Connie said. "But we're not one of those couples that has to do everything together."

"Does the man bun have something to do with it?" Johnny smirked.

Connie shook her head. "I kind of like it, actually. Also, why would you think I don't want to be seen around someone just because of their hairstyle? That seems a little shallow, even for you, don't you think?"

Johnny scowled. "They sure don't call you Comeback Connie for nothing."

"That's what I said!" Renee called out from behind him. "After, well…"

"After you insulted my choice of dress, which is rather hypocritical considering your hat looks like it was popular in the Renaissance," Connie shot back, smiling sweetly. She turned back to Johnny. "Next question, please."

Johnny nodded as Renee went beet-red. "Well, the fans want to know: How did you become a comedienne?"

Connie's face darkened. "Get ready for a stereotype, but… I lost my mom when I was relatively young. I was pretty down. My dad, a psychologist, wanted to distract me, so we started going to a weekly comedy slam downtown. I was hooked."

"And soon, you were performing there?" Asked Johnny.

Connie, smiling shook her head. "Oh, heck no. It was brutal there. You could actually _buy_ rotten tomatoes. But I did start doing talent shows and the like, and then I started getting gigs in coffee shops and bars. _Then,_ I went to the comedy slam, but only with material that was proven to work."

"So, worldwide is the dream?" He asked.

"Yep. A million dollars would've helped, but I'm sure I'll get there either way," Connie shrugged.

"Okay, then, your next question is: How are things with you and Spencer?"

Connie smiled again. "I feel like we already discussed it, but I'll reiterate: Great. He stopped doing his character and we really connected. And we only live about three hours' drive away, so we can keep this thing going after the show."

"Good," Johnny stood. "Well, that's all I've got. Where would I find Madeline?"

Renee and Connie shared a look.

"You probably won't," Connie admitted.

"She hasn't left her room since she came here," Renee added.

"Well, we'd better at least check," Johnny figured. "You never know. Renee, are you coming?"

"Yes. I'm after Madeline, anyway, so I'd better be present when you're unable to summon her."

The two stood up. "Connie, I bid you farewell."

"Thanks, Falcon," Connie smiled. She dove back into the pool.

"Where did you say Madeline's room was?" Johnny asked Renee.

The two rounded a corner. "Just follow me. It's a bit of a walk."

The two walked in silence.

"'Sup, losers?" Drew snarked as he caught up with them a minute later.

"I resent that," Renee muttered. "What do you want?"

"Nothin' much. Just checkin' out how my favourite host is doin," Drew rolled his eyes. "Are you goin, around for interviews?"

"You guessed it," Johnny confirmed. "Renee and I are just seeing if Madeline will cooperate, and if not, she's up."

"So I'm after her," Drew smirked lazily. "Looks like I ain't goin' nowhere."

Renee frowned. "Wait, how'd you know you'd be up next? I don't think Johnny mentioned the order."

Drew's face coloured. "Just… a guess. Yeah."

"But you were able to extrapolate the data with your memory of the elimination order and logical thinking." It was Renee's turn to give a condescending smile. "Gee, It looks like you're smarter than you want to let on."

"No I ain't! I'm not a nerd!" Drew protested. He turned. "Look! Madeline's room."

He gestured to a door, closed and locked tightly.

"Huh," Johnny shrugged. He knocked on the door.

Nothing happened.

"Hello?" Johnny knocked again.

Once again, nothing happened.

"As I predicted, she won't emerge," Renee said smugly.

Drew rolled his eyes. "Stuff it, needle nose."

"Actually, don't," Johnny suggested. "You're being interviewed next. Where do you want to go?"

"Here works," Renee shrugged. "There's some chairs around the corner."

"I'll get them," Drew volunteered. Then he slapped his own hand out of the air. "Wait a sec! No I won't!"

"Interesting…" Renee grinned as she eyed Drew.

"I'll grab the chairs," Johnny rolled his eyes and ducked around the corner, leaving Renee and Drew alone to share an awkward moment,

He returned and placed the chairs down. When everyone sat, he turned to Renee.

"All right. We'll begin with some questions that I've asked everyone," Johnny began.

"Good idea. That keeps a system of regularity which will keep the viewers interested at the same time," Renee complimented.

"Yes, I'm aware," Johnny raised an eyebrow. "I've done this for a few years."

"Right," Renee looked ashamed as Drew barked out a laugh.

"Honest mistake," Johnny smiled. "Let's get to it. First, how do you think you fared in the game?"

Renee shook her head. "I mean, I wanted to do better than thirteenth place. I believed my forensic skills would have aided my quest. However, I put my faith in the wrong person, and I suffered as a result."

"So you'd do something differently, going back?"

"Several things," Renee corrected. "Starting from day one. I would have pushed harder for Ilyria's elimination. Then, I would have formed an alliance with Connor and Luke. Come the team swap, I would have continued to search for allies, until I had a dominant force in the merge."

"You've thought a lot about this," Johnny pointed out.

"There's not a lot I can do other than reflect and report," the journalist replied.

"Then, I suppose it goes without asking, but how have you been enjoying yourself on Oord Island?"

"It's slow. I didn't make a lot of friends, and my reputation precedes me both here and on the K'wala Islands. Without very many to speak to, well…" Renee trailed off, leaving Johnny to connect the dots.

"I see," Johnny said. "Now, some fans have submitted questions."

Renee smiled. "Bring them on, Mr. Falcon."

"I like that attitude," Johnny nodded. "So, who on the show do you dislike the most?"

"...Luke," Renee said after a second. "He betrayed me for what seemed like no reason at all. In fact, I don't think he's made any moves based on strategy, but rather impulse. It was wrong of me to work with someone like that."

"Luke," Johnny repeated. "Did anyone else come close on your list?"

"A few people. Addie, Arianna, and Kevin all irk me, but Luke's at the top of the list," Renee elaborated.

"Interesting. One fan asked: Would you have the guts to interview everyone on the show?"

Renee raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I haven't already?"

She gave an evil cackle.

Johnny was taken aback. "Okay. I guess that's a good place to end the interview."

"So, it's my turn," Drew smiled, but before he could say anything else, Renee stood.

"Connor!" She shouted. "Get over here this instant!"

Connor, at the end of the hall, looked at Renee, and then at Johnny, and then back at Renee, and then started to run away.

"CONNOR! GET BACK HERE!" Renee stood, knocking over the chairs, and bolted off, following Connor's path.

Johnny looked at Drew. "Well, they're gone-"

Drew held up a hand. "Wait for it."

A second later, Connor came running down the corridor, with Renee in hot pursuit. The two stopped at a dead end.

"YOU MISERABLE-" Renee started to shout a tirade of insults.

Johnny sighed. "I can barely hear myself think, let alone host here. Let's go."

"Kitchens? Janson's usually there, so he can let us in," Drew said matter-of-factly.

"I've already been there, but it's as good a place as any," Johnny relented. "Let's go."

The two made their way back to the kitchen.

"How's the hostin' gig goin'?" Drew asked.

"Not bad. I can't complain. A few weirdos roll through, but nothing too bad," Johnny replied.

"Neat," The two continued down the hall.

"And here we are," Johnny finally said as they arrived.

As they entered, Nikki, who was eating soup at the counter, stood up and began to leave.

"Hey, you can stay if you want," Johnny insisted.

"But…" the shy girl frowned. "Won't I just get in the way?"

Johnny shook his head. "Unless you're a soup slurper, you should be quiet enough to stay. You could pick up some pointers for when it's your turn, think of what to say, the like," Johnny said.

"...Okay," Nikki relented.

"There's soup?" Drew asked.

"Carrot and celery," Nikki said. "Janson just finished it... There's lots."

"Sweet," Drew hopped over the counter and filled a bowl. "Johnny?"

"No thanks," Johnny waved a hand. "Allergies."

Drew tossed a spoon into the bowl, splashing the soup across the counter. He returned to his chair and sat, keeping the bowl on the table beside him.

"Good to go," he confirmed, stirring the soup.

"All right. I'll start with the customary questions that everyone's being asked. First, how do you think you fared in the game?"

"Decent, I guess," Drew shrugged. "Top two-thirds. I know I'll be remembered, maybe not for the right reasons, but whatever."

"Obviously, you're referring to Arianna and Spencer," Johnny said.

"Meh, not just them. The whole game, really. Some people are always goin' to see you as a jerk if you take what's yours, that's what my dad always says," Drew explained. "Ain't nothin' you can do about it but push harder."

"Interesting philosophy," Johnny said wryly as Drew slurped soup from his bowl, tilting the entire bowl to his face.

"Yep," Drew said simply, wiping an errant drop of soup off his nose with his sleeve.

"Well, how have you been enjoying Oord Island?" Johnny asked.

Drew smiled. "It's the life. I'd have gone out first had I known it would be this lavish. Heated pool, comfy beds… It's better than my apartment in Brooklyn, I'll tell you. I mean, we have to make our own meals, but whenever Janson ain't hostin' some stupid showgig, he's in here. I wonder where he is, come to think of it."

"Well, it's not important right now," Johnny waved his worries aside. "Ready for the fan questions?"

"Let's see what they had to say," Drew grinned.

"We had a few people ask similar questions concerning this subject, so we rolled them into one. How do you feel about Arianna and do you want her to win?"

Drew's face darkened. He made a fist. "Of course," he muttered. "Should've figured you'd ask."

He sighed before continuing. "When I met Arianna, I thought we were soul mates. Destinies, stars, all that crap. She was great. She didn't care if she offended anyone. She had power, and used it. Then, Spencer comes along, and says- well, he doesn't say anythin', but you get the point- 'Hey, why don't we be friends, and I'll teach you how to be proper and kind?' So she ends up turning into this dainty, delicate doll or whatever, and pretendin' and lyin' to my face. Then, after I encourage Spencer to stop, he blabs in front of everyone, and she dumps me! She dumps me!" Drew threw his hands in the air to emphasize the point. "So no, Mr. Falcon, I do not want Arianna to win. I want her to be crushed. Completely and utterly crushed."

Johnny looked impressed at Drew's monologue. "Wow. You sure do feel strongly about things," he said.

"Only way to feel stuff," Drew replied levelly.

"Huh. Well, another fan wants to know why you didn't hit on any guys even though you were bisexual the whole time."

Drew shrugged. "Honestly, there were a few good lookin' ones, but I had Arianna, so I couldn't just flirt with anyone and everyone else. Besides, who? Kevin? Head-over-heels for Faith. Spencer? I hate the guy."

"That makes sense," the host figured. "Well, that's all I have."

He turned around. "See, Nikki? You weren't a distraction at… all…" Johnny trailed off as he saw that Nikki was no longer in the room. "Oh, that would be why."

"She ducked out at the start of the interview," Drew shrugged. "I guess she didn't want to be a nuisance."

"It wasn't bothering me," Johnny admitted. "But hey, her call. All right, I'm off to find Spencer."

"Send my love," Drew said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That's what the fans want, isn't it?"

Instead of answering, Johnny exited the kitchen.

"I believe Spencer was in the game room," he recalled, turning a corner.

Soon enough, he was back at the room where John and Spencer had been playing air hockey. He opened the door.

Spencer, luckily, was still inside, sitting on a couch with Connie. The two were holding hands.

"Hello, Spencer!" Johnny waved.

Spencer looked away from Connie and at Johnny. He groaned. "Is there a b-better time for this?"

"Probably, but we have a schedule," Johnny explained. "We'll make it fast. You know the drill."

"Okay," Spencer sighed. "Shoot."

"How do you think you fared in the game?" Johnny asked.

"Good. N-next question," Spencer stated. Connie giggled.

Johnny sighed. "How are you enjoying Oord Island?"

Spencer gave a quick thumbs up. "Fun. Pool. Food. Connie. Next," he said.

Johnny shook his head, exasperated. "The fans… want… to… know… what… inspired… you… to… become… a… prop master," he said, stretching out every word as slowly as possible.

"Well, I was always the town c-comedian," Spencer explained. "Honestly, though, s-s-some of the pressure g-got to me, with my stutter, I mean, so I wanted t-to make people laugh without speaking."

"That ties in with the next question," Johnny said. "Two separate ones, really. If you had spoken, do you think you would have done better or worse, and if there was a challenge that involved communicating, what would you do?"

Spencer shrugged. "If I needed to c-communicate, I'd communicate. I d-don't think I could throw a challenge and come out unscathed. The other q-question is trickier. I think I c-could have d-done slightly better had I decided not to play my ch-character, but it was important to me."

"Why?" Johnny prompted.

"It just was," Spencer insisted. "Now, I don't m-mean to be rude, b-but you were interrupting something important."

"All right, I know when I'm not wanted," Johnny grumbled. He quickly exited, but not before he heard Spencer and Connie start to laugh again.

"So, that was a bust," Johnny said to the camera. "And, despite that, we're still running out of time. So, let's hurry! I think Abigail and Nikki are at the pool."

Johnny started to jog over.

"You look ridiculous!" Connor called. He started to jog beside him. "And your vibe is a nasty-"

"CONNOR! I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU!" Renee called.

"Uh-oh," Connor paled. "Speed up, will you?"

"Sorry…" Johnny gasped between breaths. "Go on… without me…"

"Peace, brother!" Connor spirited away. Renee was in hot pursuit.

Finally, Johnny reached the pool. "Oh lord… Oh lord… Just give me… a second…"

Twenty uncomfortable seconds went by before he stood up, still red in the face and panting. "Okay, I'm good."

He surveyed the pool. "Abigail! Nikki! Come hither!"

The two girls were swimming. Abigail tapped Nikki's shoulder, and they got out of the pool.

"Interviews?" Abigail asked.

Johnny kept checking his watch. "Yeah… so we're kind of on a time crunch, so can we just keep this fast?"

"Yes," Abigail said.

"Both of you," Johnny said. Nikki looked flustered. "Seriously, we have two minutes."

"Okay…" Nikki said.

"Let's do three word answers," Johnny suggested. "Please?"

"I feel kind of cheated for time," Abigail mentioned.

"Yeah, well, that's business," Johnny checked his watch. "Question one. How did you fare in the game?"

"I did well," Abigail said, glaring at Johnny.

"Well…" Nikki paused. "I'm proud of how I played. I-"

"That's nice," Johnny cut her off. "How do you like Oord Island?"

"Nice and relaxing," Abigail articulated.

"I've really enjoyed it here," Nikki said. "I really enjoy-"

Johnny cut her off again. "Abigail," he said. "Who in the game is your best friend?"

"Nikki," Abigail said simply. "No contest."

"Why do you think you were eliminated?"

"I was a threat," Abigail said. It was clear that she wanted to say more.

"And Nikki, who do you blame for your elimination?" Johnny asked.

Nikki paused. "...Probably Luke, although I'm sure Arianna-"

"And do you feel like you did better than expected in the game?"

Nikki, once again, had to think. "Yes, I think I-"

"And we're right on schedule!" Johnny announced hurriedly.

"That's all the questions I have. Could you two round up all the contestants and bring them to the foyer?"

"Even Madeline?" Abigail questioned.

"She'll want to be here for this," Johnny wouldn't explain further, so Nikki walked off in one direction, while Abigail walked off in the other.

"What will I have the contestants do? Find out next, on Total Recap Island!"

Johnny smiled at the camera as he waited for it to fade out.

...It didn't.

"Hey!" Johnny hissed through his teeth. "Why isn't the commercial coming on?"

"The commercials are different here than on _The Today Show_ ," a low rumbling voice replied from behind the camera.

"So what do I do while I wait for them to arrive?" Johnny still was smiling.

"Doesn't matter; they'll edit this later."

Johnny's eye started to twitch. "Then why won't they just put a commercial there?"

"It has to be chronological," the cameraman explained.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "This is f-"

"Johnny?" Nikki hesitantly approached, tugging on his sleeve. "We're all here."

"-antastic!" Johnny finished awkwardly. "Now, let's see what these teens will be doing. Come along!"

If a camera could move reluctantly, this one would, but it nevertheless followed Johnny and Nikki as they entered the foyer. Nikki hurriedly stood beside Abigail, while Johnny moved in front of the entire group.

"Good to see you came, Madeline," Johnny gave her a wink.

The other contestants marveled. For many, this was their first time seeing Madeline after her elimination. She wore no makeup, and her eyes had dark circles beneath them. She wore a black shirt and pants, which contrasted heavily with the bulky white cast on her arm.

She said nothing and trudged

"Eliminated contestants!" Johnny continued, pausing to savour the moment.

"...Yes?" John replied after Johnny didn't say anything.

"Huh? Oh, right. As you may have guessed already, this is clearly the greatest season in Total Drama History. You can thank yourselves for that. And Drew. Seriously, the episode he was eliminated in was, like the most watched-"

"Go on," Connie said, slightly irritated by Drew's gloating look.

"All right," Johnny was unperturbed. "So, we've been running a commercial for the last few weeks. Anyone who called the Total Drama Hotline could donate one cent to a specific fund. And you guys will be competing for that money tonight, as well as a decision that could affect the future of the game in the long term!"

Everyone started to cheer, but Janson silenced them. "Wait… how many fans responded?"

Johnny smiled. "In all, thirteen million, four hundred twenty seven thousand, four hundred replied."

Janson's eyes widened. "But…. that's over one hundred and thirty thousand dollars!"

"I know!" Johnny said excitedly. "That's why we took ninety-nine percent of the cash for the producers. The rest, $1342.74, is up for grabs."

The contestants looked slightly off-put.

"Well, I still want to win," Renee sniffed. "Continue."

Johnny smiled. "Before we continue… let's bring out a special guest star, Total Drama's very own… Clucky!"

"Who?" Everyone said as a small chicken waddled into the foyer.

"Clucky!" Johnny stated again, waiting for tumultuous applause. "You know, from Pahkitew Island?"

"What's that?" Connor asked.

"Doesn't ring a bell," Abigail admitted.

Johnny sighed. "You guys stopped watching after All Stars too, huh?"

"Yep," John agreed.

" _Any_ way," Johnny said, disgruntled, "Clucky here is the CIA's first, and only, lie-detecting chicken. She went slightly insane after electrocuting half the cast-"

"What?" Everyone was shocked.

"-but after a few years of rehabilitation, she's back to normal. Clucky will have a major role in today's challenge!"

"Hold up," Drew cleared his throat. "You're telling me that tiny thing works for the-"

In a flash, Clucky was standing on his shoulder. "GAH!" Drew flinched as he stumbled away.

"Down, Clucky," Johnny commanded. Clucky slowly climbed down Drew's front and waddled over to the _Today Show_ host.

"Let's get to the challenge!" Johnny announced. "If you would all stand in a line, in the order that you were eliminated, please. Yes, you too, Madeline."

Madeline gave the host a questionable gesture as she stood in between Connie and Renee.

Johnny surveyed the contestants- Connor, John, Janson, Connie, Madeline, Renee, Drew, Spencer, Abigail, and Nikki. "This is how the challenge will work. One by one, you will either tell a convincing lie or a hard truth. The others will then guess if your statement was a truth or a lie. If you get it right, you win a point. If you get it wrong, no points. Once every contestant has gone, the person with the most points will receive the prize totalling $1342.74 and a decision that may have an impact on the game!"

Janson rubbed his palms together. "All right!"

Nikki looked around hesitantly. "...I have to lie?..."

Renee smirked. "I suppose my journalism skills will come in handy."

"Ready to start? Then, Connor, you're up!"

 **Score: 0- Connor, John, Janson, Connie, Madeline, Renee, Drew, Spencer, Abigail, Nikki**

Connor looked around. "Okay. Here is my statement: I, like Ilyria Song, am a secret agent for the HAP whose primary goal was to be eliminated first in order to ensure that nothing out of the ordinary occurred here."

A stunned silence followed his statement.

"Woah…" John muttered. He wrote down a word.

Johnny waited until everyone- with Nikki being last- finished. "Now, reveal what you wrote!"

Everyone flipped their boards, showing mixed responses. John, Connie, Renee, Spencer, and Nikki wrote _true._ Janson, Madeline, Drew, and Abigail wrote _false._

Johnny looked satisfied at the varied results. "And Clucky? The real answer?"

Clucky was situated at a table with two buttons- true and false. Slowly, she pecked the _false_ button.

Johnny smiled. "There you have it! Janson, Madeline, Drew, and Abigail get it right by guessing it to be wrong!"

Connor looked at those who had written true. "Seriously, brothers and sisters? I thought my vibe was plain enough."

Renee shook her head. "What? Impossible."

"Let's look at the scores," Johnny said hurriedly.

 **Score: 1- Janson, Madeline, Drew, Abigail**

 **Score: 0- Connor, John, Connie, Renee, Spencer, Nikki**

"Next up. Our recent showcase winner, John!" Johnny announced.

John inhaled and exhaled. "Here's my statement. I never learned how to ride a bike."

There were a few chuckles and one "Me neither!" from Connor.

The nine eliminees wrote down their responses, none of them taking too much time.

"Has everyone written one down?" Johnny asked.

"Wait!" Nikki cut him off. She erased her answer and put down a different one. "Okay…"

"Reveal!" Johnny commanded with flourish.

They did so. _True_ had been written down by Connor, Madeline, Renee, and Drew. _False_ had been written down by Janson, Connie, Spencer, Abigail, and Nikki.

"Clucky?" Johnny prompted.

Clucky unhesitantly pecked the _false_ button.

John smiled. "I was banking on the fact that nobody would doubt a lie that makes me look bad."

"It worked, to some degree," Johnny surveyed the players. "But Janson, Connie, Spencer, Abigail, and Nikki get points! That brings our score to…"

 **Score: 2- Janson, Abigail**

 **Score: 1- Connie, Madeline, Drew, Spencer, Nikki**

 **Score: 0- Connor, John, Renee**

"It looks like Janson and Abigail are tied for the lead, while Connor, John, and Renee are at the bottom of the barrel!"

Abigail glared at Janson, who merely sighed.

Renee looked dumbfounded. "Preposterous…"

"Anywho, Janson's up! Your statement, please?"

Janson took a surprisingly short amount of time. "My statement is… I am genuinely sorry for playing with Abigail's heart before the show."

Abigail rolled her eyes as she wrote a large F on her board.

In fact, nearly everyone seemed to finish quickly.

"Contestants! Reveal your boards!" Johnny announced.

There were a lot of _false_ s written down- only John and Nikki wrote _true._

"Interesting," Johnny noted. "Let's go to our expert. Clucky?"

Clucky wavered… but pecked the _true_ button.

Abigail looked surprised. "...Really?"

Janson turned around to her. "Look. You have every right to be angry at me, and no obligation to apologize. Just know that I regret my actions."

His ex nodded. "Okay."

Johnny smiled. "Aww, they made up. And more importantly, John and Nikki get points! This changes our totals to…"

 **Score: 2- Janson, Abigail, Nikki**

 **Score: 1- John, Connie, Madeline, Drew, Spencer**

 **Score: 0- Connor, Renee**

"Now three people are tied for the lead, while our hippie and our reporter have yet to score!"

Nikki looked surprised that she was tied for the lead.

Connor, on the other hand, was mildly annoyed. He caught the camera pointed at his expression and put on a facade of calm.

"Our Comedienne is next! Connie, we need a statement!"

Connie smiled. "Here's one for you. I personally believe that Luke is positioned the best to win the game."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "A bold statement. Let's see what your friends say."

Her friends seemed to be taking quite a while to decide. Even Spencer was unsure, but he wrote down a word after a while.

"Done?" Johnny asked. "Well, you know what to do."

Everyone flipped their boards, looking around to see what the others had written. Madeline, Renee, Spencer, and Abigail had all written _false_ , while Connor, John, Janson, Drew, and Nikki had _true_ on their boards.

"Very diverse answers; and this could be an important one. Clucky?"

Clucky pecked the _true_ button.

"R-really?" Spencer said, surprised. "You want L-Luke to win?"

Connie shook her head. "Oh, of course not! That little liar blindsided me! I want Addie to win. I'm just saying, Luke has a really good chance of winning."

"Makes sense," Spencer conceded, still frowning.

"These points are important ones; let's see where they put everyone," Johnny announced, looking at the scoreboard.

 **Score: 3- Janson, Nikki**

 **Score: 2- John, Drew, Abigail**

 **Score: 1- Connor, Connie, Madeline, Spencer**

 **Score: 0- Renee**

"Janson and Nikki are now tied for the lead, with John, Drew, and Abigail one point behind, while only Renee remaining scoreless," Johnny announced.

Renee was visibly shaking. "What? Is this a fix?"

"No fixes, I'm afraid," Johnny shrugged. "Let's see if you'll get a point with… Madeline!"

Madeline pouted, but didn't say anything.

"...Madeline?" Johnny asked hesitantly.

There was still no reaction.

"...Mad- aw, whatever. This counts as a forfeit, so everyone except Madeline gets a point," Johnny shrugged. "There you go, Renee."

"Points off a forfeit," Renee muttered. "I'll take them, though."

"Let's have a looksie at our board!" Johnny stated.

 **Score: 4- Janson, Nikki**

 **Score: 3- John, Drew, Abigail**

 **Score: 2- Connor, Connie, Spencer**

 **Score: 1- Madeline, Renee**

"Not much chance in the standings after that one," Johnny noted. "Renee? This is your chance to make a move."

Renee cracked her knuckles. "All right. My statement is… my favourite colour is orange."

Everyone hesitated, not expecting such a simple question. A few players were visibly thrown off guard.

Eventually, everyone finished. Connor was among the last to do so.

"Okay! Reveal, if you will," Johnny prompted.

There were very little _true_ s in the group. Only Connor, John, and Drew answered in that fashion, while Janson, Connie, Madeline, Spencer, Abigail, and Nikki all selected _false._

"And we go to Clucky," Johnny said.

Clucky, if chickens could smile, smiled, and beaked the _true_ button.

"Ha!" Renee pumped her fist. "I got you all on one-in-seven odds!"

"One-in-seven?" Abigail inquired.

Renee frowned. "Of course. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet- every other colour is a combination of those ones."

Drew smirked. "What about white?"

"Not a colour," Renee shot back.

"What about pink?"

"Red and violet," Renee explained as simply as she could.

"Pink's still a colour," Drew challenged.

"Yes, but-"

"I'm intervening!" Johnny interrupted. "This can only go on so long! So, let's check in on our scores."

 **Score: 4- John, Janson, Drew, Nikki**

 **Score: 3- Spencer, Abigail**

 **Score: 2- Connor, Connie**

 **Score: 1- Madeline, Renee**

"A four way split for first place!" Johnny said, surprised.

"Not for long," Drew smirked.

"There are a limited number of questions left. Only four, to be exact. I'll have to start eliminating those who fall too far behind. Renee, Madeline, right now you girls are in the bubble," Johnny warned. "Drew, you're up."

Drew slowly stepped forward. "All right, suckers. None of you are goin' to get this right. My statement is… my Brooklyn accent is faked."

No one was expecting that as an answer, and they all reacted accordingly. Renee chuckled to herself. "Easy."

Once again, when everyone was inevitably finished, Johnny prompted, "Reveal."

The answers were yet again mixed up. This time, Connor, Madeline, and Spencer picked _true_ while John, Janson, Connie, Renee, Abigail, and Nikki selected _false._

Clucky didn't even need prompting. She slowly pecked the _false_ button.

"False!" The host announced.

Drew cackled. "Seriously, guys? I'm almost offended. Ha! Losers."

Spencer glared. "No wonder Arianna l-l-left you," he muttered under his breath.

"What'd you say, freak?" Drew suddenly spun around, a fist raised.

"Hey!" Johnny snapped his fingers. "Let's keep the attention on me, please!"

Reluctantly, the two turned away from each other.

"Now, since there are only three rounds left, and Madeline is four points behind, unfortunately, that means you're eliminated," Johnny said gravely.

Madeline shrugged. She turned around and left the foyer.

"Wait! You still- oh, just look at the scoreboard," Johnny grumbled.

 **Score: 5- John, Janson, Nikki**

 **Score: 4- Drew, Abigail**

 **Score: 3- Connie, Spencer**

 **Score: 2- Connor, Renee**

 **Eliminated: Madeline**

"John, Janson, and Nikki are tied for the lead! John, you've gone from last to first!"

"Cool," John smirked.

"Our next competitor is… Spencer!" The host called out.

Spencer frowned as he thought about his statement. "Okay… I've b-been severely bullied at school f-for my st-st-stutter."

He bit his lip and looked at the floor, as everyone wrote down their answers.

The other contestants, excluding Madeline, wrote down their answers silently. Connie, shockingly, had a tiny smile on her lips.

"Contestants, reveal!" Johnny said.

When the boards were flipped, _true_ was on every single board… except…

"Connie?" Johnny questioned. "You wrote _false?"_

Connie nodded. "I think I'm right."

"Well, let's see," Johnny replied suspiciously. "Clucky?"

Clucky beaked the _false_ button.

Spencer smiled. "I'm homeschooled. I sh-should hope that n-nobody bullied me."

Johnny's eyes widened. "Wow! A clutch question from Spencer means that only Connie gets the point!"

He viewed the board. "However, that also eliminates Connor and Renee, as they are three points behind with only two questions to go. Let's look now!"

 **Score: 5- John, Janson, Nikki**

 **Score: 4- Connie, Drew, Abigail**

 **Score: 3- Spencer**

 **Eliminated: Connor, Madeline, Renee**

Connor snapped his fingers. "Darn."

Renee looked considerably more angry. "Are you kidding me? I am a reporter! This is ridiculous!"

Johnny ignored her. "Now, three are tied for the lead, three are in second, and Spencer is on the bubble. Your second to last potential point is delivered by Abigail!"

Abigail inhaled and exhaled.

"All right," she said. "My statement is: I considered betraying Addie before he betrayed me."

The six others were all slow to answer on this one- even Nikki, who knew Abigail well.

Eventually, however, everyone finished.

"Show us your answers!" Johnny announced.

The boards were flipped. _True_ was written down by John, Janson, and Spencer, while _false_ was on the boards of Connie, Drew, and Nikki.

"A wide variety of answers," Johnny stated. "This could determine the winner, right here. Clucky?"

Clucky paused. Then she pecked the _true_ button.

"Really?" Nikki asked, surprised that she had answered incorrectly.

Abigail shrugged. "Honestly, I had to consider all my options. In the end, I made the choice to trust Addie. It was the wrong decision."

Johnny nodded. "Well, let's go to the score!"

 **Score: 6- John, Janson**

 **Score: 5- Nikki**

 **Eliminated: Connor, Connie, Madeline, Renee, Drew, Spencer, Abigail**

"Dang. Too bad," Abigail sighed.

Drew swore. "That was supposed to be mine!"

"It looks like John, Janson, and Nikki are our top three," Johnny began. "However, since Nikki is asking the question, she'll be unable to compete in this round, so…"

 **Score: 6- John, Janson**

 **Eliminated: Connor, Connie, Madeline, Renee, Drew, Spencer, Abigail, Nikki**

"...John and Janson are our final two in this competition! Remember, the winner will receive $1342.74 and a game-changing decision," Johnny reminded. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!"

John grinned. "Let's take this one home."

Janson looked him over. "Not if I can help it, pal. You won the showcase, but I'll win the real one."

"We'll see."

Johnny clapped his hands. "A friendly rivalry! Love it! Now, this round is going to work differently. Nikki is going to say her statement, and then the first person to guess correctly will win. However, you only get one guess. If you get it wrong, your opponent automatically wins."

John and Janson nodded to show they understood.

"Clucky will be here to verify the correct answer. And no, Clucky, you cannot compete."

Clucky bawked sadly.

"So, with $1342.74 and advantage on the line… Nikki, you have the floor."

Nikki looked slightly panicked with this responsibility.

"Um… Okay… my statement is…"

John and Janson looked at her expectantly.

"...My middle name is Adam because my parents were expecting a boy!" Nikki rushed.

"Adam?" John and Janson questioned.

"Adam!" Nikki confirmed.

"Huh…" John frowned.

Janson said nothing, preferring to study Nikki's face.

John blinked.

Janson bit his lip.

Finally, John started to speak. "I think-"

"True!" Janson interrupted. "It's true!"

"Hey! That's what I was going to say!" John protested.

"Sorry," Janson apologized. "It just came to me. Heat of the moment and all."

Johnny smiled. "Janson says true! Will Clucky agree?"

Clucky eyed the boys. Slowly, she moved her beak…

…

...towards a button…

…

...which read…

…

... _false…_

…

...before switching over and pecking the _true_ button.

"Clucky says true and Janson wins!" Johnny announced.

"Yes!" Janson clicked his heels.

Johnny handed him a check. "$1342.74 for you, sir! But more importantly, your game changing decision!"

Everyone who was still present (essentially, everyone except Madeline) leaned in. All, presumably, wanted to know what the decision was.

"Janson," Johnny said, agonizingly slowly. "You… get… to…"

Janson waited patiently.

"...choose which two players receive the Curse of K'wala until the next elimination." Johnny finished.

Janson smirked. "Wonderful."

"Now, this is a tough decision, so-"

"Got it," Janson replied. " **Arianna and Faith**."

Both Drew and Spencer frowned at Arianna's name. They noted their similar expressions and looked away.

"Wow, what a fast choice," Johnny said appreciatively. "Why?"

"Arianna, because she is an immoral person, just like I was while competing. And Faith… well, I'm not entirely ready to forgive her for blindsiding me like she did. Let's see what happens when things are stacked against her," a darkish look passed across Janson's face.

"Thank you, Janson. The curses will be delivered to Arianna and Faith as soon as I leave," Johnny explained. "And speaking of…"

He stood. "It looks like my time is up here."

He turned to the camera. "That's our show, everyone! Thanks for watching! See you next time on…"

" _Total Recap Island!_ "

* * *

 _READ THIS!: On my profile, there is a poll where you can vote for which challenges will be featured in the Top 7 and Top 6 chapters! Since each of these has a different immunity winner, this could seriously affect the game._

* * *

 **That's all, folks! Sorry if everything was rushed (SUPER RUSHED), but there was a lot of things to fit into this episode.**

 **Not much else to say here, although I will be posting a list of the fired interns along with the usual stuff. My intern will star in the next episode, because I was unsure if anyone would actually respond, meaning I already made a plan for him/her. After that, it's one belonging to Candela Monsoon, followed by one belonging to CreeperGav.**

 **Fired Interns:**

 **Kayla (Day 16; Reason: Psychopath)**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipients: Arianna and Faith**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**


	14. Ep11: Intern-al Conflict

' **Sup, reviewers?**

 **La Rossa Rosa (Is that Spanish?)- Thanks! As for John and his girlfriend, I can't** _ **technically**_ **make any promises, but I will say that would be a** _ **very**_ **nice way to wrap up the Michael-John plot, either in the finale (if M-Dawg makes it) or after it (If he doesn't).**

 **TotalDramaFan04- Oh, I think you're going to like the interns. Y'all've sent me good ones!**

 **Candela Monsoon- Thanks! Yes, Madeline acted kind of… well, you saw her. I needed to leave some eliminated plots to the finale, which everyone will return for. For integrity's sake, I don't want to guess, but when he or she is eliminated (or wins) you can tell me, and I'll see if I'm right.**

 **Beastboycoolman15- Thanks for your support! It really means a lot.**

 ** _100 000 WORDS!_**

* * *

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _The contestants finally merged, going to a reward camp on K'wala Island. Kevin immediately formed a majority alliance alongside his close friend Nikki as well as Faith, Ruby, Ilyria, and Addie. Meanwhile, Michael saw to it that he, Luke, Arianna, and Ruby formed an alliance of their own, which was stocked with extra votes and advantages. In a crazy challenge which saw a crazy person try to destroy the island in a crazy way, Ilyria revealed that she was a secret agent while taking the threat down, while Kevin turned into a kick-butt take-names fighting machine! Well, not really, but he did win immunity with Ilyria. The two alliances faced off in the first merged vote, but due to Luke playing two extra votes for his team and Ruby betraying her friends, Nikki was given the boot._

 _Eight are left, but that eight will soon become seven! Who won't make the cut this time on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 16_

* * *

 ** _Merged Players: Addie, Arianna, Faith, Ilyria, Kevin, Luke, Michael, Ruby_**

The eight remaining players had just completed their walk back to camp.

"Alliance meeting. Now!" Kevin snapped to the group.

"Hey, chill out," Addie suggested. "I'm tired. We can't do this later?"

"No, we cannot!" Kevin replied. "Let's go!"

"Addie has a point," Faith said calmly. "We're not going to get anything done if we're all sleep deprived. Besides, it was a long day, and-"

Kevin interrupted. "Oh, I see how it is. You're taking his side over mine?"

Faith stumbled back, flummoxed. "Of course not. I just-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Kevin roared. "Side alliances are the last thing I need!"

Addie laughed. "Side alliances? Ridiculous."

"Don't patronize me!" Kevin shouted. "It's the only thing that makes sense! Why else would you defend each other?"

"Common decency is obviously out of the running," Addie muttered.

"I can't deal with this right now!" Kevin said.

Addie smacked his forehead. "That's what I keep saying, Sherlock."

"Agh!" Kevin stomped away.

Ilyria turned to Addie. "Was that necessary?"

"He's freaking out. Look, one of us just got voted out, and now more than ever we need to focus," Addie challenged. "Having Crazy McConspiracy Theorist at the helm helps no one."

"I agree," Ilyria bristled. "So why must you push him further over the edge?"

"Aw, come on," Addie rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to help him see the bigger picture."

Ilyria glared at him. "There's not going to _be_ a bigger picture if Kevin turns on one of us and votes us out!"

Addie opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"...Crap, you're right," he realized. "I'll talk to him."

"No, I should," Faith said.

"I will." Ilyria decided. "We can't risk him turning on either of you, whereas I can make a strong case for myself of he tries."

"Meh, fine by me," Addie walked over to their shelter. He grabbed a pillow which the group had won in the last reward challenge. "I'm getting some shuteye. Don't wake me unless Jesus himself shows up."

"I thought you weren't religious," Ruby pointed out.

"Yeah, that's why it'd be so crazy," Addie yawned. "Night."

Michael watched the whole situation with curiosity.

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I've learned lots from that interaction alone. Kevin is clearly the leader of the alliance. However, it appears that my plan to derail him by eliminating Nikki was a success. Ilyria and Faith are second and third, as they're both serious players. I don't know if anyone knows who has the priority there. Addie is seemingly just there for the ride, but he's very loyal. Ruby didn't get a single word of input until the very end. I have Ruby on my side, but convincing another in this dynamic will be pointless. I might have to break out my Ally Save from day one."

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Don't get me wrong, I'm as ticked as the next guy that Nikki went home. We barely spoke except for day one, but she seemed sweet. On the other hand, this is Total Drama. If we're four against four now, something's going to tip the scales one way or another. We just have to figure out how to tip the scales in the right direction."

* * *

Ilyria left briskly.

"You know what? I'm going to bed too," Ruby groaned. "I've got a headache from the darts."

"...Oh, good, I thought it was only me," Faith smiled. "I didn't want to complain."

The socialite looked around. She saw that Luke and Michael were conversing, while Arianna was sitting alone. Addie was sound asleep, and Ilyria and Kevin weren't in sight. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Are we still on for our alliance?"

"...I'm not sure," Ruby said. "Michael and I were working together in the team portion, but we broke the deal off at the merge," she lied.

"Michael's an odd one," Faith chuckled.

Ruby's voice hardened. "Hey, lay off of him. If you knew the things he went through…"

Faith, noticing her slip up, relented. "Okay. Here's what I was thinking. We keep the majority alliance until the final five. Then, you, Kevin and I take out Addie and Ilyria, which puts us in the top three."

Ruby nodded. "It's a good idea, but…"

"I know. You're worried about who the traitor in the alliance is," Faith said. "But whoever they are, they have no power. We can get them out as soon as the other four of us hold a two-person majority."

"...Yeah, that makes sense," Ruby said finally. "All right. I accept. To the final three we go."

"Great," Faith smiled gracefully. "Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I'm glad Ruby and I reconnected. Now I have a stable alliance within an alliance, plus, I can take two friends to the final three."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Great," she groans. "Faith has the perfect plan… Take out Michael's group, and weed out the traitor, except Michael and I are sticking together, and I'm the traitor. I can't risk Michael having another episode, and I genuinely want to help him, so… I don't know what to do!"

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Gee, I wonder if they thought to check if I was sleeping or not?" He says sarcastically. "Well, the girls are right- Ilyria and I would be at the bottom of the alliance once it hit the final five. And I'm not content with fifth. Not now, not ever. Addie ain't going down without a fight."

* * *

"Kevin!..." Ilyria called as she searched through the brush. "Kevin!..."

She stopped when she heard a noise.

"What's that?" She muttered to herself.

As she approached the noise, the source became more evident.

It was Kevin, and he was crying.

"Kevin?" Ilyria said softly.

Kevin looked up. "Oh… it's you." He sniffled.

Ilyria said nothing, preferring to sit beside him.

"What do you want?" Kevin suddenly snapped.

Ilyria sighed. "Nothing. Just helping a concerned ally. The pressure of the game is getting to you."

It was a statement more than a question. Kevin nodded anyway. "Nikki was my closest friend."

"You'll see her again," Ilyria said. "And sitting here crying about what can't be changed is the second worst thing for your gameplay."

"And the worst?" Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"Quitting out of self-pity," Ilyria replied.

Kevin said nothing.

"All right, I'll go first," she grumbled. Slowly, the agent pulled an envelope out of her jacket. "This envelope was given to me about an hour ago by the HAP."

"Your agency," Kevin interjected.

"Yes," Ilyria sighed sadly. "The events reached their ears, and this letter, no doubt, states that I've been relieved of my duty,"

"So why don't you get it over with?" Kevin asked.

Ilyria shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm loony. Maybe I'm in denial. Maybe I'm just holding on to the best thing that's happened in my crummy life for as long as I can."

"That's tough," Kevin said quietly, almost to himself. "I want to win."

Ilyria looked skeptical. "Call me a genius, but I figured that one out myself."

Kevin chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's obvious. Genius. But I don't just want to win, I _need_ to win. The fate of something larger than myself rests on it."

"Can you be more specific, perchance?" Ilyria asked.

"Honestly, no," Kevin frowned. "It's a secret that is not mine to share. But it involves…" he cleared his throat. "...what you saw in the cave."

"I see," Ilyria replied. "I can't ask that you share anything that you shouldn't, but I need to make sure you know one thing."

"Yes?" Kevin asked.

Ilyria stood. "Nikki was voted out last night. You were not. As long as you remain on the island, you have a chance. Yes, there's a traitor in your alliance. But there are three others who aren't. And I'd say four out of eight isn't a bad spot."

Kevin said nothing.

"That's all I have," Ilyria conceded. "You should get some rest, though, so we can talk alliance plans tomorrow."

Kevin stood and made for camp.

He froze. "...One more thing. Can we keep this conversation and what happened in the cave a secret?"

Ilyria nodded. "Yes."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"If you'd told me on day one that I'd have to do the things that I've done now, I'd have called you crazy. But helping Kevin was right, and I found someone to confide in myself. I know I have the confidence to keep on going."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Ilyria's right. I have to get my head out of the sand and start fighting to stay here. Day one Kevin, scared to make an alliance and sarcastically calling out teammates, is no more. This is the hand I've been dealt, and I'll play my cards as well as I can."

* * *

 _Day 17_

* * *

"Morning. It's strategy time," Michael whispered as he shook Luke awake. He did the same with Arianna.

"Great galloping gadzooks," Luke groaned. "What time is it?"

"Shh!" Michael insisted. "You'll wake the others!"

"Why do we have to do this now?" Arianna questioned quietly as she rose.

"It's the best time to do it," Michael started to walk away. "Come on!"

Luke and Arianna started to follow him.

Once they were out of hearing distance, Luke spoke up. "Ruby's not part of this discussion?"

"I'll tell her later," Michael insisted.

Arianna crossed her arms. "Actually, I've been thinking."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Never a good way to start a conversation."

Arianna jutted her head over to camp, where Ruby lay asleep. "Why do you insist on keeping us apart?"

"Because if anyone sees you talking, they're going to think she's the traitor."

"She _is_ the traitor," Luke pointed out, juggling a rock, a pinecone, and an odd-looking coconut with a face on it.

Michael's brow furrowed. "We don't want anyone to know that."

"Everyone's asleep now," Arianna pointed out.

"They could wake up," Michael shot back.

Luke missed the pinecone and it landed up on his head. "So if people see us talking, no biggie, but if Ruby comes, suddenly it's a big biggie."

Arianna got the idea. "Yeah, Michael. It's almost as if you value her more than us."

Michael looked back and forth between the two of them. "Of course not."

Arianna shrugged. "Then you have no problem with us waking her to talk?"

"I'll get her," Michael snapped. He left.

Arianna and Luke exchanged glances.

"Final two deal?" Luke offered.

"You wish," Arianna rolled her eyes. "Once we have the numbers, it's every woman for herself."

Luke was about to say something when Michael returned, flanked by Ruby,

Ruby looked at her tall, imposing allies. "Hi."

"Hi!" Luke chirped.

"Hi," Arianna said through gritted teeth.

"Now that we're all introduced," Michael said sarcastically, "Let's get to the plan."

"The plan!" Luke chorused.

"Right. Kevin's the next to go," Michael announced. "Any questions?"

"Um!..." Arianna protested. "You promised that Faith would go home next!"

Michael looked at her over the top of his glasses. "I did promise that. However, Kevin's vulnerable right now. It would be foolish not to-"

Arianna silences him with a look. "It would be foolish for you to break your promise when I could easily flip sides."

"The others would vote you out in a heartbeat," Michael rolled his eyes.

"And then you'd be in the minority," Arianna finished. "You said Faith. Unless she wins immunity, I'm thinking Faith."

"Squabbles aside," Luke interrupted, "I'm all out of extra votes. Right now, we're at an even split down the middle. It could easily be a tie between Faith and whichever one of us they decide to vote for, and then we'd all be fighting for our very souls!" He finished dramatically.

Michael glanced at Arianna. "Your advantage will be of the essence."

"No," Arianna replied.

"There's no alternative," Michael insisted.

"No," Arianna replied.

Michael made a fist. "Well, I didn't want to do this, but…"

He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "...I can help us. This lets me save anyone but myself. All I have to do is figure out who the others are voting for."

All eyes turned to Ruby.

Ruby pointed at Arianna. "Her. Between Kevin being paranoid and Faith, who you have a personal vendetta against, I think the alliance will be swayed. If it changes, I'll let you know."

Arianna nodded silently.

"So there's our plan," Michael stated. "We vote for Faith. I play my advantage on Arianna. We get the majority."

"Easy peasy chicken greasy," Luke confirmed.

"You guys can go," Michael dismissed them.

Ruby went one way. She frowned.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to work alongside Arianna? I don't get why Michael woke me up to help them."

* * *

Arianna went a different direction. She gave an epic fist pump.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Just like that, I've decided myself immunity without doing a single thing except keep my advantage secret. Coming into the top seven, with an advantage and the majority and Faith gone, will be a walk in the park."

* * *

"You're not leaving," Michael noted.

"Correctamundo," Luke smiled. "I just thought you'd want to hear me out."

"All right," Michael said.

"If the good guys' gang votes for Arianna only, that leaves us to determine who goes home."

"Go on," Michael said, curiosity piqued.

Luke spun the coconut with a face on his finger like a basketball. "What would you say if you, Ruby and I voted for Kevin, while Arianna voted for Faith? It'd keep us in the majority, and the guy you wanted out would still be out."

Michael shook his head. "Good in theory, but what happens when Arianna finds out?"

Luke shrugged. "We tell her we'll still work with her. It's not like the other guys will. She'll be mad, sure, but I don't think she'd destroy her whole game over it."

"It's a little- no, a lot- risky," Michael argued.

"What's the risk?" Luke questioned. "Arianna might get so angry at us that she loses her mind? She gets angry a lot, but she's not stupid. And the reward is getting a threat out as soon as we can, before he has time to come up with a new plan. I know Kevin, and he always has something up his sleeve," He tugged at his own sleeves.

Michael thought. "...I'd think about it," he conceded.

"All I ask," Luke turned around and walked away without a word, tossing the coconut behind him.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"I'm kind of a genius," he admits smugly. "This is going to drive Arianna and Michael completely apart. I can capitalize on that chaos, and I intend to." He gives an evil laugh.

* * *

As Ruby returned to camp, Addie was already awake, relaxing on a handmade wooden chair.

"Hey, Addie!" Ruby greeted.

"Cut the crap," Addie spat.

Ruby's expression changed to shock. "Wait, what?"

Addie rolled his eyes and stood. "Look. I know you're part of a final three deal with Kevin and Faith."

Ruby was surprised. "How did you know that?"

Addie continued. "I also know you're the traitor in the alliance."

Ruby looked shocked. "How did you know _that_?"

He shrugged. "I'm a light sleeper."

Ruby paled. "Look… I didn't mean to…"

Addie motioned for her to stop talking. "Ruby. I respect you as a player. I understand why you do what you do. Honest."

Ruby nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going.

"That's why I want to offer you a final five deal," Addie concluded. "You, Michael, Luke, Ilyria, and me."

Ruby opened her mouth and closed it again, flabbergasted.

"Just think about it," Addie said. "You can get out Faith and Kevin. Then, Arianna. After that, you get to be the swing vote between two alliances- Michael's or mine. That's guaranteed final three right there."

Ruby frowned. "If you heard our conversation last night, you know I was already offered final three."

Addie nodded patronizingly. "With Kevin and Faith. Look, I've got nothing against the two, but Faith is going to keep Kevin because she can beat him in challenges, whereas Kevin's going to keep Faith because of his mega-crush."

"So I'm not the only one that's noticed…" Ruby muttered. "But aren't you and Ilyria in the same position?"

"Hardly," Addie refuted. "Ilyria and I are emotionally close, but bets are off when it comes to the game. I'd keep you over her. This is off topic. We don't need to decided about the final five until it is the final five."

Ruby paused.

"What do you say?"

Ruby shook her head. "I have to keep my options open, and I can't give you a definitive response. If I were you, I'd talk to Michael. He can see strategy, and he'll think it works in his favour, I'm sure," she explained.

Addie nodded. "Will do. Thanks for considering."

He left.

"It's not like I had a choice," Ruby frowned.

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, eh?" He chuckles, before resuming a serious look. "I have my own agenda, of course, but this benefits everyone in the long run. Except Faith and Kevin, I guess, but she did make a side deal that didn't include me. I'm just returning the favour."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"At what point did I become the most connected player in the game? Addie, Faith, and Michael all have me in their ideal top threes. Is it because I'm weak? Nice? Predictable?"

* * *

 _Night 17_

* * *

"All right, alliance," Kevin announced. "Meeting, take two."

"You're still going along with this?" Addie questioned. "Even though you know there's a traitor in our midst?"

Ruby shuddered, though no one noticed.

"What other choice do I have?" Kevin asked rhetorically.

No one offered any response, so he continued.

Kevin continued. "Anyway, I think we should continue on our usual way. Arianna, and Luke if she's immune."

"We have to keep her advantage in mind," Addie noted.

"It could be immunity," Faith conceded. "But It could very well be an extra vote."

"Maybe it's nothing, and it's purely psychological," Ilyria suggested.

Kevin shrugged. "We have to continue on as though Arianna's advantage is something small."

Addie raised his hand. "I hate to play devil's advocate," he said, "but in a four-four split, even a simple vote block or an extra vote could be the difference."

"Then it doesn't matter who we vote for, does it?" Kevin asked. "If she'll just play it anyway."

"That sounds like giving up," Ilyria interjected.

"Merely advocating the advocate," Kevin responded. "Here's my idea. We could split the votes."

"Not very likely," Faith said. "They're smarter than that."

"...Or, if one of us has an advantage," Kevin continued, "We could use it to get on top."

No one said anything.

"Right," Kevin said. "No one wants to admit they have one because of the traitor, I understand."

"We need to know if someone has one," Ruby insisted. Addie shot her a look.

"Agreed," Kevin said obliviously. "Here's what we're going to do. Everyone pick up a rock."

Ilyria coughed. "What?"

"Trust me," Kevin requested.

She did.

"Now, close your eyes. Everyone," he insisted. "On the count of three,toss your rock into the center of our circle if you have an advantage, and behind you if you don't."

"What's that going to do?" Ruby asked curiously.

Faith realized his point. "We can see if someone has an advantage without necessarily telling who has the advantage. That way, the traitor from the other alliance won't know who it is. Kevin, that's genius!"

Kevin went red. Luckily, everyone's eyes were closed. "...Thanks. If we don't have any advantages, we can work on splitting the votes of the others."

"Sounds good," Ilyria agreed.

"I'm game," Addie smirked.

"It works for me," Ruby said, keeping the nervousness out of her voice.

"Okay," Kevin said. "One… two… three!"

The sound of five rocks hitting the ground echoed through the clearing.

Addie opened his eyes first. "Hey, sweet, we're fine."

A single rock was in the center of the circle.

"Well, that's that," Kevin smirked. "It's redundant at this point, but we're voting for Arianna, and Luke if she wins immunity."

"That's all?" Ilyria stood.

"Yes," Kevin confirmed.

The others began to leave.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Kevin handled that well. Maybe our chat actually worked. Huh."

* * *

"Oh, wait!" Kevin called. "Faith, can we have a word?"

Faith looked confused, but she turned around and rejoined Kevin.

Kevin glanced around furtively. When everyone left, he relaxed.

"I have the advantage in my pocket," Kevin muttered.

Faith's eyes widened. "Really? Why tell me? What if I'm the traitor?"

Kevin but his lip. "I needed to let the others know that I have the advantage so they don't split the votes. And I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure you're not the traitor, since Arianna wants your head."

"Fair," Faith replied. "Once again, why tell me?"

"This advantage," Kevin agreed. "Grants whoever plays it immunity, and gives them two extra votes. Since the opposition wants you out, I think I should play it for you."

Faith looked even more surprised. "Me? If the advantage grants extra votes, then does it matter who we play it for?"

Kevin gave that some thought. "Technically, no, but Arianna has the advantage. We can't forget that. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially since the group is split."

Faith shook her head. "I can't ask you to play that for me."

"You're not asking. I'm telling," Kevin insisted with steel in his eyes. "If I had insisted she play that yesterday night, Nikki would have stayed and we'd have already had the majority."

"Kevin-" Faith began.

"You can't sway me on this," Kevin stated plainly.

Faith saw the truth in his eyes. "...All right."

She walked away without another word.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"After this vote, we'll finally have the majority. I'm not sure why Faith couldn't understand that."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I'm flashing back… and believe me when I say, this is the last thing I want to think about… to when Drew mentioned how Kevin had a crush on me. Is that why he wants to do this for me? And if he does like me like that… what do I do?"

* * *

"Michael?" Ruby asked.

"Here," Michael turned around. "Do you know what the other guys are- RUBY!"

Michael jumped back. Addie was standing right beside Ruby with a bemused smirk.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Michael exclaimed.

"He already figured it out," Ruby said miserably.

Michael adjusted his glasses. "Great. This is just skippy. So the traitor has been revealed, and the other alliance has changed their plans, and you're here to tell me you want out, and-"

Addie held up his hand. "I haven't said a word."

"What's the benefit of that?" Michael asked.

"I want to cut you a deal," Addie admitted. "I'm at the bottom of my alliance. That much was made clear yesterday," he glared at Ruby.

Ruby stayed silent.

"So, here's my ideal top five," Addie said. "We three, plus Ilyria and Luke."

Michael nodded. "Okay. What happens then?"

Addie looked confused. "...What?"

"Obviously, you and Ilyria are expecting one of us three to flip at the top five. Why else would you make the deal?" Michael questioned. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that assumption."

Addie sighed. "Or, I could prove to my alliance that Ruby's the traitor, and change our target without telling you, causing you to misplay your advantage," he leered.

"You told him about the advantage?" Michael roared at Ruby.

"No, it was just a shot in the dark," Addie smirked. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Fine! Fine!" Michael said. "You got me. We'll work together, at least for now."

Addie relaxed. "Pleasure doing business with you. Who's the target?"

Ruby brightened. "Oh, it's-"

Michael cut her off. "Vote for Arianna. We'll deal with the rest."

"Wunderbar," He smiled. "Well, until the next vote."

"Indeed," Michael said, both gloomy and mysterious.

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"All right. Now that I've made a cross-alliance deal, we can take the game by storm. Hey, don't say I'm not going down swinging."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"Addie brought up some valid points. In fact, maybe changing my vote might be to my advantage."

* * *

Luke and Arianna were the only ones left at camp.

"So…" Luke grinned.

"What," Arianna said.

"I have some neat information…" he smiled lopsidedly.

"Yes?" She asked warily.

"Well, I want to drag this out. I mean, it's not like critical info comes your way every day," Luke smirked.

Arianna rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

Luke relaxed. "Throw the immunity challenge."

"I already did that once!" Arianna protested.

"And you didn't get voted out," Luke continued. "This is your chance to get ahead."

"How do I know you're not messing with me? I could throw the challenge and then you tell me nothing," Arianna pointed out.

"I'll give you a preview," Luke proposed.

"Let's hear it," Arianna said.

Luke cracked his knuckles. "Well… Michael came up with this _crazy_ idea."

Arianna said nothing.

"...If he plays the advantage on you…" Luke said, painstakingly slow.

"Then…?" Arianna waved her hands, motioning for him to continue.

"...I've said too much. I must go." Luke stood.

"Wait, what happens?" Arianna asked.

"I MUST GOOOOOOoooooo..." Luke's voice faded away as he escaped.

"...I can still see you," Arianna noted as Luke hid behind a tree.

"No you can't!" Luke insisted.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"I guess she doesn't _really_ want to know. Her loss."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Luke's dumb enough that he'd let me throw a challenge for no reason. I can't have him ruining my game like that. Maybe I can lose him early… as soon as Faith goes, of course."

* * *

 _Day 18_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: Lake Gellafiche**_

The eight remaining contestants arrived on scene.

"Hello, top eight!" Chris announced with gusto.

"Hey…" Logan mumbled half-heartedly.

"What's up with frowny?" Addie asked Chris, looking at Logan.

"He's a little depressed, What with his girlfriend actually being a psycho and all," Chris explained.

"Whatever…" Logan looked at his feet.

Chris checked his watch. "We'll start the challenge in a minute… but Beck and the new intern should be here by now."

"Kayla's replacement?" Faith asked.

"Yes'm," Chris confirmed. "I told them to set up the challenge about a half-hour ago, so they should be done soon…"

"Speak of the devil!" Luke shouted. "There they are!"

Beck rounded a corner, flanked by a young girl in the same state of dress. She looked rather nervous, her eyes darting around.

"Morning, all!" Beck greeted.

"All right," Chris said. "Chop chop."

He gestured to the young girl. "Everyone, this is… ah…"

"Mitzi," she squeaked.

"Right," Chris confirmed. "Missy. She's our replacement for Kayla."

Mitzi said nothing. She shivered.

"Now, before we get to the challenge, we must redistribute the Curse," Beck explained. "In the merge, things are going to work differently."

"How so?" Kevin wondered aloud.

Beck responded. "Every time we have a challenge, the Curse is going to change hands."

"Will it be random?" Michael asked.

"No," Beck shook his head. "Rather, it will be chosen by the previous immunity winner."

"So, Ilyria and myself?" Kevin asked.

"Once again, no," Beck said. "This time will work differently. We had one of the eliminated contestants select two cursed players. This is just a one-time thing, though."

"Who is it?" Luke asked.

"Today's lucky losers are…" Chris drum rolled on his thighs. "...Arianna and Faith!"

Arianna groaned.

Faith sighed.

"Usually, if you receive the curse, you'll only get a disadvantage in the challenge," Beck explained. "However… this time, we're shaking things up."

"Faith and Arianna will not be voting at the Verloor Island Conclave," Chris clarified.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Well, that's not good. Luckily, Arianna's also not voting, which should make it easier for my alliance to get rid of her."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"This sucks. Luckily, Faith's also not voting, which should make it easier for my alliance to get rid of her."

* * *

"Right! Let's get to the challenge!" Chris clapped his hands together. "Here's how this is going to work."

Beck gestured to the lake, where a giant cargo net was suspended.

He smirked. "Welcome to... the cargo."

"What's the cargo?" Ruby asked.

"Depends who's driving," Addie quipped. Ilyria giggled in spite of herself.

"Ugh…" Logan groaned.

"All right," Beck announced. "This challenge is simple in concept but difficult in execution."

"So is making cargo puns," Addie snickered.

"For this challenge," Beck explained, "All you have to do is stay on the net for as long as possible. The other contestants will try to push you off the net. Last one standing wins immunity."

"Also," Chris added, "for an added twist, we had Mindy coat the ropes in gasoline."

Mitzi looked at Chris awkwardly. "...Actually-"

"You're not lightning the ropes on fire?" Kevin interrupted.

"Of course not!" Beck replied. "This isn't season four. We need you guys to survive. The gas is just to make things slippery."

Kevin visibly relaxed.

"Is everyone ready?" Beck asked.

Silence.

"Then let's get to the challenge!" He exclaimed.

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"Cargo net, eh? Well, as long as I stay off to the side, I should be alright until the last two or three."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Immunity is important for me today. It's not secret that Michael's alliance wants me out of here."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Ooh, cargo. You know, it takes a lot of stamina to be an actor, what with blocking and all. This is my challenge to lose."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"I'd like to win, but I'm less stressed than normal, as even if I do lose, Michael will play his advantage for me. Ha! I'm running this game."

* * *

Time had passed. Now, the eight remaining players were situated on the net. It was a large rectangle of gasoline-soaked ropes.

"Good luck, everyone," Ruby said, from the bottom-right of the net.

"I'm not the one who needs it," Ilyria said confidently. She was situated directly above Ruby.

Michael chuckled. "Some luck might not hurt," he said from the top-second-from-the-left.

"Agreed. I'm already slipping," Kevin muttered, from down and to the right.

"Contestants ready!" Beck announced.

...

...

...

...

...

"Go!"

The eight contestants slowly moved closer or further away from each other.

"Woah!" Kevin immediately lost his grip on the rope with one hand. Flailing, he barely held on.

"Man," he exhaled. He started to climb to the left.

Meanwhile, Addie crouched in the top-left corner. "Whew."

Arianna spotted him from the other side. "Addie! That won't work!"

Addie chuckled. "Somehow, it's less intimidating when you have to cross an entire slippery net to get to me.

"..." Arianna stayed put.

In another corner, Ruby, who had been climbing up, collided with Ilyria, who had been climbing down.

"...Truce?..." Ruby asked hesitantly.

Ilyria nodded, then dropped down beside her and expertly pried her hands off the rope.

"Oh, come-" was all Ruby got to say before she fell into the lake below,

"And Ruby is the first one out of the challenge!" Beck announced.

Ruby glumly swam back to shore.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

She sighs. "I guess that wasn't my challenge to win. Shame, though; even if I wasn't a target, I'd still like the security."

* * *

Luke scrambled around the net like a madman. "This is awesome! This is just like this crazy dream I had, when I was in this competition and one of the challenges was to stay on a cargo net and there were seven other people!"

Michael approached the actor but kept his distance. "What happened in the dream?"

Luke smirked when he saw Michael. He made a diving leap… but ended up falling several feet short. He belly flopped into the water below.

"Ugh… that…" Luke groaned.

"Two are out!" Beck stated. "Luke, take a seat beside Ruby."

"Tch," said Luke.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Gosh diddly dangit! I guess that means I'm a potential target. But hey, I might sneak back here after the challenge. How often do you get to do this?"

* * *

"Um… Mr. McLean…" Mitzi said from the sidelines.

"Ah! Milly!" Chris smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Well… I… ah…" Mitzi stumbled over the words.

"Come on, spit it out, I won't bite," Chris reassured her, albeit condescendingly.

Mitzi hoisted up a red can. "What should I do… um... with this?"

Chris pondered it. "There's gas dumps all over the islands. The closest one is at Verloor Island. Do you remember where that is?"

Mitzi nodded but frowned. "Ah… is that safe… for the environment?"

Chris shrugged. "Technically, this island is uncharted. No environmental regulations to follow. Anyway, scurry along, Minnie."

Mitzi bowed her head and lugged the gas can away from the challenge.

"How's the challenge going?" Chris asked.

"Nothing to report," Beck shrugged. "No one wants to make the first move."

On the cargo net, the players had arranged themselves into somewhat of a hexagon. Addie was on the top, Faith and Michael were situated at the right, Arianna and Ilyria were on the left, while Kevin was hanging at the bottom.

"Climb up a little, Kevin!" Beck called. "If you touch the water, you're out!"

Kevin looked down to see his feet were only a few inches above the water. He climbed up a little. "Good call."

Chris turned to Beck. "Why would you do that? You have to stay impartial."

Beck crossed his arms. "I'd have told anyone else the same thing."

"Hmph," Chris pouted.

Arianna looked over to Addie. "God! Start competing! Coward," she added.

Addie chuckled. "Sorry, but I only get mad when people I respect accuse me of cowardice."

"You're saying you don't respect me?" Arianna growled, inching closer.

"Wow, she's done it again," Addie smirked. " _Brava_! _Brava_!"

He raised his hands off the net to applaud. Surprisingly, he kept his balance…

...until Arianna shook the net right beside him.

"Waugh!" Addie plummeted backward into the lake.

"What the-" Kevin looked up, to see Addie falling above him. He cursed as Addie knocked him off as well.

"In a surprise double takeout, Kevin and Addie are both out!" Beck announced.

Chris looked over. "Why do you keep saying things like that?"

"The readers are surprisingly imperceptive," Beck explained.

"Readers?" Chris gave him an odd glance.

"Never mind," Beck rolled his eyes and continued to watch the four remaining players. "Kevin and Addie, join Ruby and Luke on the shore."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"That was completely unfair… and a little stupid on my part. I guess there's no immunity for me, so hopefully Faith or Ilyria can take out Arianna."

* * *

Confessional: Addie

"I got cocky. It doesn't pay to be cocky."

* * *

"And now, half the cast is out!" Beck said. "Only Ilyria, Arianna, Faith, and, surprisingly, Michael are left."

"Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence," Michael climbed downward.

"Did you think you were going to make it this far?" Beck raised an eyebrow.

"Considering I haven't been deemed a challenge threat, not really," Michael said over his shoulder.

"Announcing that no one's going to take you out of a challenge while we're doing a challenge," Faith said in deadpan. "Smart."

"I'm telling it like it is," Michael shrugged. "Besides, if I were Ilyria or you, I'd focus my efforts on taking out Arianna."

"You can try," Arianna smirked. "But you will fail, just like everyone before you has."

"I'd like to point out that you were only spared because Drew was deemed a bigger threat," Ilyria mentioned.

Arianna smirked as she moved across the top of the net. "And that was your key mistake."

There was no reply, so everyone continued, staying far away from each other.

Michael moved to the left. Ilyria moved up. Faith moved to the right. Arianna moved down.

Time passed.

"...Ugh, this is taking so long!" Chris whined. He turned to Beck. "Don't we have tomato cannons on standby?"

"No, Chris," Beck replied. "That could be dangerous."

"What about plain old fashioned rocks?" Chris argued.

Beck facepalmed. "How is that any less dangerous?"

"..." Chris said nothing.

"Besides, hanging on a net starts to wear on your muscles after a while," Beck explained. "Someone's going to have to make a move."

As if on cue, Faith stopped shuffling and changed her course. She was now directly on course with Arianna.

"Finally going for it?" Arianna taunted.

"Have to try sometime," Faith grunted. "It could very well be you going home if you don't win, after all."

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," Arianna smirked.

"Banter aside," Faith replied. "I wish you the best of luck."

Arianna stayed put as Faith inched closer. "Trying to psych me out, is that how it is?"

Faith looked taken aback. "Oh, of course not. I genuinely-"

Arianna chose to strike then. She used her leg to stomp on Faith's hand.

Instinctively, Faith grabbed it with her other hand. This meant that no hands were on the net, and she fell.

"Faith is out!" Beck called.

"Finally," Chris added under his breath.

Now, Arianna hung on the far left, Ilyria hung on the far right, and Michael was in the middle.

Michael looked back and forth between the girls.

"Not worth it," he said, dropping off voluntarily.

"And just like that, Michael is out too!" Beck said. "It's down to Ilyria and Arianna!"

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Okay, that was disrespectful. Now, Kevin is going to play that advantage on me. Great," she groans. "I don't need this much stress right now!"

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I was barely holding on anyway. I thought, 'Maybe people will be less strategically inclined to vote me out if they see I throw challenges.'"

* * *

"It all comes down to these two," Beck said. "Will it be Ilyria, securing her second consecutive immunity? Or will it be Arianna, who's fought all challenge long?"

"Longer than that," Arianna muttered as she came nearer to Ilyria.

"Likewise," Ilyria agreed. She moved closer as well.

"Maybe if you throw this one, I'll convince the alliance to keep you until fifth," Arianna said. She started to climb up in order to gain the higher ground.

Ilyria shook her head. "Nonsense. I'd have to be a right fool to throw a challenge. Oh wait, you already threw one," she smirked, going up as well to match Arianna.

"I'll remind you that we tied for the win," Arianna pointed out. She continued to move up.

"Gee, and you're completely to thank for that," Ilyria said sarcastically. "Had you won that fight- which you could have- maybe we could talk. But no, you just slithered from deal to deal like the snake you are."

"If I'm a snake, then you're a vulture," Arianna growled. "Staying in the shadows but feasting on the rewards of the hunt. What do you contribute to your alliance?"

"Well, after tonight," Ilyria said, "I'll be contributing to the majority. And I might mention that a vulture would eat a snake."

"Only to die later from its poison!" Arianna interjected.

"At least it would have outlasted the snake!" Ilyria barked.

"But it would still be dead!" Arianna proclaimed victoriously. "You vote me out. So what? You're still on the outskirts of your deal with the others. You'll be dead!"

"I-" Ilyria started to fall behind as Arianna climbed higher and higher.

"You'll never be the leader or the most valued," Arianna continued. "You'll never get past fifth if you stick to your regular game! Why? Because the alliance doesn't need you for anything but your vote. You're just a number. And because of that, you're expendable! You won't make it far! _And you won't win!_ "

As Arianna said this, she positioned herself directly above Ilyria. She readied herself to jump off.

Ilyria spoke softly. "Oh, Arianna, don't you understand? I don't need to win."

A brief look of confusion flashed across Arianna's face.

"I just need to outlast you," Ilyria said as Arianna jumped.

In an expert move, Ilyria used Arianna's momentum to grapple her around, but it took Ilyria down in the process.

They started to rotate in midair. First, Ilyria was closer to the lake. Then, Arianna. Then Ilyria. Then Arianna. Ilyria. Arianna. Ilyria.

"It's going to be close!" Beck announced.

The girls hit the water with a mighty splash.

"Who won? Who won?" Kevin exclaimed.

"Video! I need video!" Beck called.

A cameraman handed him a tablet, which had been used to film the incident.

Meanwhile, Ilyria and Arianna started to pull themselves out of the water.

Once they made it to the beach, Beck handed the tablet back to the intern.

"All right," he said. "I have the results. One person clearly touched the lake before the other. So, immunity today has been won by…"

Everyone leaned in.

...

...

...

...

...

"...Congratulations, Ilyria!" Beck finally said.

Ilyria slumped with relief, while Arianna pouted, away from the others.

"Ilyria has become the first member of our top seven," Chris said. "Everyone else is still at risk of being voted out. Remember, Arianna and Faith will not be casting a vote tonight. That's all I have. I'll see you at Verloor Island tonight."

The players walked back to camp.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I'm more relieved that Arianna _doesn't_ have immunity that I am that I do. But it feels nice to have won two challenges in a row."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Well, whatever. Michael still needs me, so he's going to play that advantage for me. I may not have won immunity, but I'll still get it. Believe you me."

* * *

 _Night 18_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave (Immunity: Ilyria)**_

Chris walked into the hut before anyone else had. Mitzi followed him.

"All right," Chris smirked. "It's time for your first Conclave, Mickey. Ready?"

Mitzi weakly nodded.

Chris explained. "So, we always throw a little gas in the fire pit. Just a smidgen, you know, nothing dangerous."

He gestured to the fire pit.

Mitzi paled. "Um… is… that…"

Chris nodded. "The fire pit, yes."

Mitzi's eyes widened. "Um… I… I…"

"Yes?" Chris asked. He didn't wait for an answer. The host took a whiff of the fire pit. "Whew! Looks like someone already put a splash in there. Well, do you want to light the match?"

"I… ah… um…" Mitzi gestured to him, and then the pit.

"All right," Chris amended. "I'll do it this time."

He struck the match.

"Mr. McLean…" Mitzi said hesitantly. "The… um…"

Chris shrugged. "Tell me in a second, Misty." He put the match to the fire pit.

"I thought it was a gas dump!"

 _FWOOM!_

The blaze flared up instantly, growing sky high. The flames licked across the roof, damaging them but not burning them. Meanwhile, it spanned outward, searing the front of Chris' face. He fell backward as the fire declined slightly.

"I… ah…" Mitzi looked at Chris, horrified.

"Get me a mirror!" Chris roared.

Mitzi procured one, seemingly out of thin air, and handed it to Chris.

Chris looked at himself. His lips were chapped, and his face was slightly red. But worst of all-

"My eyebrows!" Chris bemoaned. "My beautiful eyebrows!"

Indeed, they were seared off of entirely, along with the majority of the hair on his forehead.

Chris slowly turned to face her.

"Mr. McLean?" Mitzi said hesitantly.

"Mitzi!" He shouted. "You're _fired_!"

Mitzi ran away, tears streaming down her face.

It was at that point that Beck arrived, with a moping Logan in tow.

"Hey, the fire's a little bigger than usual," Beck quipped. "Where's Mitzi?"

Chris turned to face him.

"Oh…" Beck was taken aback.

"Gone," Chris spat. "You handle the ceremony. I can't deal with this right now."

Chris stormed off.

"...I guess it's just us now," Beck said.

"Whatever…" Logan moped.

The awkward tension was broken with the arrival of the contestants.

"Hello, contestants!" Beck greeted as the eight players arrived.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Oddly enough, I'm feeling really good about this vote. Let's just get to it now!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"...I'm craving a croissant."

* * *

"Hey, the fire's kind of big, ain't it?" Addie asked.

"That's what I said!" Beck agreed.

The competitors sat down.

"Alrighty then," Beck relaxed. "What was the dynamic at camp immediately after Nikki was voted out? Faith?"

Faith laced her fingers together. "Well, everyone was really stressed out. Except for Michael's group."

"Michael's group?" Beck questioned.

"Myself, Luke, and Arianna," Michael clarified quickly.

"...But," Beck replied. "Nikki had more than three votes against her."

"Indeed," Michael said.

Beck nodded. "Does this have anything to do with the message written on the final vote: _Kevin's allied with a traitor?_ "

"Who doth the traitor be?" Luke mused. "That single question has caused so much conflict."

"Evidently," Beck notes the postures of the players. "Everyone seems to be on edge."

"This is a stressful game," Kevin said. "Anyone could be going home tonight."

"Anyone except Ilyria," Beck finished.

Ilyria smiled. "It's nice knowing that I'm safe. However, my friends are not."

Addie put a protective hand on her knee. "Hey, it'll be fine."

"Ruby," Beck asked. "Do you personally believe that you are safe for this round?"

Ruby looked at Beck, straight into his eyes. "The moment I believe that I am safe is the moment I've been sent home."

Beck nodded. "That's fair. With that in mind, it's time to vote. As per usual, we'll go in alphabetical order. Remember, Arianna and Faith will not vote. Addie, you're up."

Addie stood and cracked his neck. "Let's do this."

He approached the voting area. After a small moment of thought, he wrote down Arianna's name. "I'm pretty sure this is a dumb idea since she's going to be immune in some way or another. But hey, if it gives me a stable alliance that won't kick me out ASAP, well…"

Arianna did not vote, and neither did Faith, so Ilyria was up next. She wrote down a name and returned.

Kevin was up next. "All right. It's finally time for Arianna to go."

Luke was after him. "Oh, this is going to be good. And Arianna's going to be _ticked._ "

Michael was next. He said nothing but wrote down a name slowly.

Ruby was last. She slowly put down a name. "I'm sorry. You're really too dangerous to stay."

Finally, she returned.

"I'll tally the votes," Beck said. He walked away.

Everyone was calm and quiet.

"...Is anyone else craving croissants?" Luke asked.

Everyone was annoyed and quiet.

Beck returned. "All right. If anyone has an advantage and would like to play it, now would be the time."

Michael looked at Kevin.

Kevin looked at Michael.

"I'd like to play my advantage," both boys said at the same time.

"I'll go first," Kevin said. He stood and gave a necklace to Beck.

"Knew it!" Addie slapped his leg.

Beck examined the advantage. "This is a genuine advantage. It allows whoever it's played for to become immune and cast two extra votes. Who are you playing it for?"

Kevin pointed. "Faith."

Faith sighed and shrugged.

"Well," Beck stated, "Faith, go ahead and cast your votes."

Faith stood.

"Wait!" Arianna stood. "I'd like to play my advantage!"

She practically hurdled over Michael to stop Faith from voting. She handed Beck a furled piece of paper.

"This," Beck said, "Is also a genuine advantage. And it allows you to steal the advantage played prior to use it for yourself."

Kevin paled.

"Cast your votes now," Beck said, with no emotion in his voice.

"Gladly," Arianna smirked.

"No, no, no…" Kevin fretted. "No…"

Faith sighed. "It'll be okay."

Arianna returned.

"Unless anyone else has their advantage, I'll read the votes now," Beck said.

Michael shook his head.

"Okay," Beck said. "The first vote is for… Arianna. It doesn't count."

Arianna smirked.

"The second vote… Arianna. Doesn't count."

"I know," Arianna relaxed.

"The third vote… Arianna. Doesn't count," Beck said solemnly.

"This is bull," Kevin muttered.

"The fourth vote…"

"...Faith," Beck said.

Faith shook her head.

"The fifth vote… Faith."

Faith sighed. "I can't believe this."

Beck paused.

Arianna suddenly looked troubled. "You're pausing. Why are you pausing?"

Beck read the next paper. "The sixth vote…"

"...Addie," Beck finished.

Addie didn't even look perturbed. "You didn't. Son of a-"

Beck cut him off. "The seventh vote… Addie."

Ilyria looked at Addie. "Addie? What's going on?"

Addie squeezed her hand. "Get on with it, Beck."

Faith just looked confused.

Beck read the last vote. "We do not have a tie. The eleventh person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...Addie," Beck finished.

"Welp," Addie hopped up. "This sucks."

Ilyria's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Karma happened," Addie shrugged.

"But…" Ilyria protested. "But…"

"That reminds me," Addie pulled a watch out of his pocket. "This is yours?"

Ilyria took it. "But… This was in the lake!"

"I'm a kleptomaniac. I see shiny, I get it," Addie shrugged. "Anyway, bye."

He started to walk away.

"Addie, you have finished the game in eighth place," Beck said.

"WAIT!" Ilyria called. She rushed over to Addie. "What if I never see you again?"

Addie chuckled. "I'll see you at the finale. You can give me your address then."

"And you'll just go?" Ilyria questioned.

"I'm homeless," Addie said mysteriously. "I can go wherever I want."

And with that, he left.

"Arianna," Michael said. "Are you-"

Arianna fumed. "How do you think I am? My own alliance just betrayed me! You, Luke…"

"Don't say it…" Michael pleaded.

"...and Ruby!" Arianna finished. "Yes, Ruby! The traitor!"

Stunned silence followed this statement.

"Um… get some rest, you earned it," Beck said awkwardly. "Congrats for making the top seven."

The players walked off, silent.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"So Ruby is the reason that Addie's gone? Oh my… she's going to pay."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"Arianna has just made a huge mistake. As far as I'm concerned. She's out of the alliance. Effective immediately."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"...I want a croissant!"

* * *

"Well, with a double advantage play, a shocking revelation, and a blind issue, today was anything but uninteresting," Beck announced. "Logan?"

"..." Logan sighed.

"Will Ilyria get her revenge?" Beck posed the question.

"..." Logan sighed.

"Will Arianna succeed in eliminating Faith?"

"..." Logan sighed.

"And will Ruby make it out if this unscathed?" Beck asked. "Find our next time on…"

"Total! Drama! The Curse of K'wala!" Beck finished awkwardly. "Dude, snap out of it."

Logan just slumped over.

* * *

Final Confessional: Addie- 8th Place

"I tried to make a deal, and it didn't work out. I wouldn't really regret what I did… except that it puts Ilyria at a disadvantage. But she's smart. I meant what I said about meeting her in the finale. If anyone can do it, it's her."

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Addie voted for… Arianna (Immune)_

 _Arianna's vote was blocked_

 _Arianna voted for… Faith (Extra Vote)_

 _Arianna voted for… Faith (Extra Vote)_

 _Faith's vote was blocked_

 _Ilyria voted for… Arianna (Immune)_

 _Kevin voted for… Arianna (Immune)_

 _Luke voted for… Addie_

 _Michael voted for… Addie_

 _Ruby voted for… Addie_

* * *

 **Well, as you can clearly see, that was one mess of a vote. Arianna comes out unscathed, but her alliance mates get their way over her. What's going to happen next? I know, of course, but you don't. Feel free to guess the next elimination in the reviews. Winner gets a shoutout.**

 **Let's talk Addie. I wanted a morally neutral guy who played with his heart but still had a good head on his shoulders. But that's boring, so he was also a kleptomaniac, which gave him some plot in the early stages. Another thing about Addie- he is very loyal, so I felt like his side deal with the 'villains' was also justified. I understand he had a lot of fans, so people are going to be sad to see him go, but hey, that's the game.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the intern! I wanted to make her seem different from Nikki. I'm not sure if I succeeded, but hey, it was fun. Candela Monsoon's intern is next, then CreeperGav's. After that, I got nothing, so keep sending, please!**

 **The poll is still up for the challenge in the next two episodes. I'll take it down once the next chapter goes up.**

 **Fired Interns:**

 **Kayla (Day 16; Reason: Psychopath)**

 **Mitzi (Day 18; Reason: Played With Fire)**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipients: Arianna and Faith**

 **8th- Addie- The Kleptomaniac**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**

 **PS- My chapters are getting looong!**


	15. Ep12: Seven for a Secret

**You again?**

 **La Rossa Rosa- You might as well send her information over; it couldn't hurt. Just looks and personality, please.**

 **Candela Monsoon- Thanks for the long review! I appreciate it, and it seems like you really enjoyed the chapter. To reiterate, Ruby is the traitor since she has been voting with the villains, but only to protect Michael, who would otherwise be in the minority. I'm going to say** _ **no**_ **to the intern question, at least for now, since my queue might be full if I accept everyone who has already been sent to me, and I'm prioritizing those who haven't yet sent one.**

 **Totaldramafan04: Thank you! I'm glad the twist took you by surprise. Happy to hear you're liking my portrayal of Michael.**

 **Obikinoah- Yeah, not all the chapters can have happy endings, but I'm glad you still like it! And man, that core four of Dom, Don, Laurel and Wendell is in a good position! However, I think Laurel might turn on Dom soon, since he's going to get a LOT of jury votes if he makes it.**

 **Beastboycoolman15- It's sad to eliminate other people's characters. I'm glad you can still look past that to like the story though. As for the rest, all I can say is wait and see.**

 **Dinokea- You will see soon enough :)**

 **Oh dearie me, I hope none of you have a particularly strong attachment to Jason.**

* * *

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _After Nikki's elimination, Kevin was reeling. After accusing both Faith and Addie of betraying him, Ilyria of all people was able to calm him down. Meanwhile, friction between individual members of Michael's alliance caused Arianna to be left out of important plans. Addie figured out the real traitor- Ruby- and offered her a final five deal with Ilyria, Michael, and Luke. After Ilyria won the challenge, Arianna played an advantage to steal immunity from Faith. This meant it was only her alliance's votes that counted. However, after deeming Addie to big a threat, Michael decided to send him home._

 _Seven are left! Who will be our unlucky loser tonight on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 18_

* * *

 _ **Merged Players: Arianna, Faith, Ilyria, Kevin, Luke, Michael, Ruby**_

The seven remaining players had just returned from Verloor Island.

"...Some vote today, huh, guys?" Michael chuckled.

He saw the rage in Kevin's eyes and realized he had made a mistake.

"Some vote? _Some vote?_ " He shouted. "You- you-"

"I played the game, yes," Michael sighed. "You'd better start realizing that not everything is a personal attack against you."

Kevin turned to Ruby. "You outright _lied_ to me! To all of us!"

Ruby shrunk. "Um… well, I never said that I _wasn't_ working with the other alliance…"

Kevin shook his head. "You can't lawyer your way out of this one, Ruby. You've betrayed my trust, Ilyria's trust, and Faith's trust. And for what? You were the most liked person in the alliance! You would've made it to the final three, at least. And now you've thrown it all away to be a villain!"

"I'm not a villain!" Ruby protested. "I have to work with these people!"

"Why?" Kevin questioned.

"Because…" Ruby glanced over at Michael. "Well, I just do!"

Kevin laughed darkly. "You just do. Well, I'll tell you what I have to _just do._ For starters, you're out of the alliance."

"Figures," she sighed.

Kevin shook his head. "I'm just so disappointed. And outraged! I can't-"

"That's enough," Ilyria stepped between the two.

Kevin sounded shocked. "What? Aren't you mad?"

Ilyria nodded. "Oh, I'm plenty mad," her face took on a vengeful look. "In fact, if I get my way, Ruby will be gone in the next forty-eight hours."

Ruby paled.

"But," Ilyria pointed out. "There's no point making a scene. If we want Ruby gone, we have to plan, not shout."

Kevin nodded. "I guess. I'm going to bed." He spat bitterly.

"Myself as well," Ilyria said.

"I'm beat," Faith added, not making direct we contact with Ruby.

They walked off.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Ruby's cemented herself as the next one to go. I'd better hope she doesn't win immunity. It'll be poetic, in a way."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I'm outraged, believe me. Addie was my closest friend in the game, and Ruby seemingly arbitrarily betrayed him. However, I don't need anyone to think I wear my emotions on my sleeve."

* * *

Michael watched the trio leave, and then turned to Arianna. "All right. Ten seconds. Why the actual hell did you do that?"

Arianna smirked. "I could ask you the same question, regarding why Faith is still here."

Michael choked over his words. "I, ah…"

"Not so fun when you're not in control, is it?" Arianna laughed. "You're lucky I still want to work with you."

Now, Michael looked surprised. "Really. That seems terribly dangerous, you know."

Arianna shrugged. "Just keeping everyone on their toes. Let's look at the dynamic I've just created."

"Let's," Michael agreed.

"Now that I've revealed where allegiances lie, we have three- Kevin, Faith, and Ilyria- on one side, and three- You, Luke, and Ruby- on the other. And I'm the swing vote. It would be completely stupid of you to the swing vote, unless you want to be right back at square one, with a three-three split. So, I get to choose who I help," Arianna smirked. "You should be lucky it's still you."

"And let me guess the condition," Michael rolled his eyes. "A five letter word that rhymes with wraith."

Arianna's expression darkened. "Yes. Faith has stayed here for too long. Soon, she'll be able to tell Spencer that I am not to blame."

"Spencer? The tape guy?" Michael laughed. "Didn't think he was your type."

"...He's taken," Arianna admitted. "Not the point. I am voting for Faith. You'd best encourage your alliance to do the same."

She strolled off without a backward glance.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Everything I said was true… except for one detail. Faith isn't my target next. Ruby is. Yes, I want to get Faith out as soon as possible. But I want to see Michael shattered first. Call it revenge for switching the vote. The best part? No one is going to suspect that I, the 'obsessed with getting Faith out' girl, would be capable of this."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"It's trying how Arianna continues to underestimate my intelligence, despite me proving myself again and again. Faith? Please. She wouldn't have revealed Ruby at the Conclave unless she wanted the others to turn on her. If Arianna thinks she can fool me, she has another thing coming."

* * *

Ruby shambled down the path, kicking rocks as she passed, alone.

"Michael," she muttered. "Why didn't you just vote for Faith? Why didn't _I_ vote for Faith?"

"He's persuasive, all right," said a voice in a tree.

Suddenly, Luke dropped down in front of Ruby. "Ta-da!"

Ruby jumped back. "Holy- you scared me!"

Luke bowed.

"Wait," Ruby frowned. "How long have you been here?"

Luke checked a watch that didn't exist. "Um… I'd say an hour? Maybe an hour and a half?"

"That's commitment," Ruby said appreciatively.

"Walk with me," Luke put a hand on her shoulder and steered her to the right. "You were wondering…?"

Ruby shrugged. "A lot of things. Why does everyone have to take this so personally? Yeah, there's a big prize, but it's a game."

Luke nodded. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but clearly, if it were just a game, you wouldn't be aligned with Michael, and by extension, Arianna or ol' Lukey here."

Ruby gave him a skeptical look.

"Michael's sadness incarnate. Arianna's a jerk. I'm completely spontaneous in a dangerous way," he clarified. "You could have easily stayed away from us, and I can't help but wonder why you didn't…" Luke assumed a thoughtful expression.

Ruby started to say something but stopped herself.

"I'm very happy you did," Luke eventually said. "Glad to see you're finally playing the game well."

"Yeah…" Ruby trailed off. "Well, long day. I'm getting some rest."

"Sleep is for the WEAK!" Luke suddenly grabbed hold of a tree and began to climb it, only for it to bend backward and send him tumbling into his rear.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"'You're finally playing the game well?' What does that even mean? And do I want to play the game like I am if it means that my friends are going to go home?"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"I did some thinking. Yeah, me. When our alliance finally wins, I need to make sure that people would rather take me to the finale than Michael, Ruby, or Arianna. That means I have to downplay my intelligence, which sucks. I guess I can't backstab allies like I used to if there are no backs to stab."

* * *

Ruby walked back to the group's shelter. She gave a longing sigh before lying down, using one of the pillows which the group had won prior.

"Not so fun being on the outs, is it?" Faith asked. She lay awake away from the others.

"Heck, I'm surprised you're even talking to me," Ruby admitted.

Faith chuckled. "I'd better while I still can since Kevin and Ilyria are probably going to want complete isolation from you."

"You said you were on the outs?" Ruby asked.

Faith shrugged. "For I while I was. I was put on a minority at the team swap, and it was kind of chance that Spencer and Drew turned on each other. Then, I made a mistake, and Ilyria was seriously considering keeping Arianna over me."

"Really?" Ruby said, surprised.

"Sure," Faith shrugged. "This was before she started to get all crazy, of course."

"At least you got more allies at the merge," Ruby said glumly. "Unless they're bringing people back, I don't think I'll have the same luck."

"For what it's worth," Faith said, "I'd still like to work with you if I can."

"You would?"

"Come on, Ruby. You're still my best friend in the game," Faith smiled. "You'd think I'd throw that away for something like strategic differences?"

"I…" Ruby was dumbstruck. "I don't know what to say.I'm glad you're being the bigger person."

"I'll try to convince Kevin and Ilyria," Faith said. "No promises, but I think they'll go for it."

"All right," Ruby replied.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Do I intend to keep my word to Ruby? Absolutely. We're gal pals, though and through, and who'd lose a friendship over a game? Well, admittedly me. But not Ruby! I respect her!"

* * *

 _Day 19_

* * *

Ilyria sat by herself on a rock.

"Addie," she said to no one in particular. "If you can watch this, I'm already missing you."

She sighed. "You shouldn't have gone home. I can't believe Ruby would do such a thing."

Ilyria shook her head. "Because of her, we're now in the minority… we can be picked off, one by one."

She crossed her arms. "Unless… no. Who am I kidding? It's not like an opportunity is just going to walk around the corner."

Arianna walked around the corner.

Ilyria saw her. She quickly stood and wiped her eyes. "What do you want."

Arianna smiled. "Why, I just wanted to talk with my good friend Ilyria!"

"I haven't the time nor the patience for this," Ilyria said shortly. "Unless you have something you want, I'll ask you to leave."

"Oh, there's something I want, all right," Arianna said. "Your vote. And Kevin's and Faith's, but yours in particular."

Ilyria blinked. "I'm listening."

Arianna nodded. "I'm no longer affiliated with Michael's gang. This makes me a swing vote. Luckily for you, I'm as angry at Ruby as you are."

Ilyria understood. "You want us to vote with you for Ruby."

"Indeed I do."

"And what do you want in return?" Ilyria asked. "There must be something."

Arianna shrugged. "Not really. I mean, after that, out of Michael and Luke, I'd prefer you to vote for Michael, but I'm not fussy about it."

Ilyria shook her head. "Something's not adding up. Aren't you completely focused on eliminating Faith?"

"Yes," Arianna admitted. "And I could get the votes to take her out if I wanted to. But I don't. Not anymore. I have somewhat of a higher priority to deal with first."

Ilyria said nothing.

"Consider it, at the very least. I don't see you guys getting any other offers for the time being," Arianna mused. She walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Phase two: complete. Now the alliances are completely against each other- or, will be, at any rate- and they both need me. Things are looking up."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I think… I think she's actually being honest here. It's a gut feeling, little more, but she might be angrier at Ruby than she is at Faith. If she _is_ telling the truth… it might be our way out."

* * *

Ruby found Michael meditating.

"Late to bed, early to rise," Ruby quipped. "I didn't see you at all in the shelter."

Michael turned his head. Ruby caught sight of him. "Oh my god!"

Michael had monstrous bags under his eyes and he was swaying.

"Did you get _any_ sleep last night?" Ruby asked.

"No," Michael said hoarsely. "I was too busy."

"Doing what?"

"Strategizing."

Ruby looked at him with concern. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something…"

"Spit it out, then," Michael said, not unkindly.

"What happens if neither of us wins?" Ruby blurted.

"What do you mean?" Michael frowned.

"Michael… you were ready to throw yourself off a cliff because you didn't think you'd win. And that was _before_ putting any effort into actually trying. I just wonder…" Ruby trailed off. "If neither of us wins the money, what are you going to do?"

Michael's silence was haunting. He said nothing for a very long time.

"...I _will_ win," he finally said.

Ruby gravely nodded. "All right," she said, unconvinced. "So, who do we want to vote for?"

"My preference would be Faith," Michael admitted. "However, I would also be okay if we chose Ilyria."

"I prefer Ilyria," Ruby blurted. When Michael looked at her funny, she added, "Faith still wants to work with me. It's not much, but it's something."

Michael shrugged. "I'm fine with that. Ilyria has won two immunity challenges in a row. If we kept her long enough, she could go on a challenge run, which would be fatal for us."

"Okay," Ruby said. "You should get some sleep."

"You're not my guardian," Michael insisted. "...But I should get some rest."

He walked over to the camp and flipped onto the ground, snoring instantly.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I'm worried about Michael. He's pushing himself too hard right now. All I know is, there is no way I'm not sticking with him, at least for now."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I didn't tell Ruby that Arianna's not voting with us for two reasons. First, I don't want to worry her. Second, I don't want to tell her that I also plan on using my advantage on her at the next elimination to save her."

* * *

"So I said to the doctor, 'By the way, you wouldn't happen to have any apples on hand, would you?'" Kevin was apparently finishing telling a story.

Faith burst out laughing. "That's great! Did you think of that?"

"Sort of," Kevin admitted. "It's based on one of Connie's routines, but not a copy or anything."

"Well, I think it's awesome," Faith smiled.

"You're awesome," Kevin muttered underneath his breath.

"Sorry, what was that?" Faith asked.

"Nothing," Kevin replied quickly. "Look, Ilyria."

Ilyria purposefully strode over to the duo. She noticed them sitting together and hesitated. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Between Kevin and me? Nah," Faith shrugged. "Fire away."

Kevin slumped slightly, though he wasn't noticed.

"We have an offer..." Ilyria began.

"That's great!" Faith exclaimed.

"...from Arianna," She finished.

Faith frowned. "Slightly less great."

"She says that she's voting for Ruby, no matter what," Ilyria claimed. "So we don't have much say in who it is, but at least it's not one of us."

Kevin shook his head. "This is the same Arianna that has done nothing but try to eliminate Faith since the Spencer vote? No. I don't believe her, not even a little."

Ilyria sighed. "Honestly, I'm unsure myself. But what other choice do I have? I don't see Luke, Michael, or Ruby turning in each other in the foreseeable future. This is our only option."

Kevin bit his lip. "Why can't we just vote for Arianna herself?"

"If we do, it could force a tie. In the tiebreaker, everyone other than Arianna and whoever the other three vote for can cast a vote. Since they hold the majority, they can just take one of us out."

"Unless they want to get rid of Arianna, too," Faith pointed out.

Ilyria shrugged. "It's possible, but I think they'll want to use her as the swing vote as well. For all we know, they could think she's voting on their side."

"I don't want to put my trust in her," Kevin said.

"Once again, we have no other choice right now," Ilyria reiterated.

Kevin sighed. "Well, I guess we have to work with Arianna. Albeit reluctantly. Faith?"

Faith nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

"All right. I'll tell her I have a deal," Ilyria replied. She walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Great. My sole hope of survival in this game rests upon Arianna. _Arianna_. I apologize if I don't seem optimistic about this upcoming vote."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Just as I was about to mention how we should get Arianna out with Ruby, here comes Ilyria, saying that we should get Ruby out with Arianna. Hello! Arianna's the much bigger threat! I'm afraid they're making an emotional decision rather than a strategic one. So… what do I do?"

* * *

Michael found Luke on the beach.

"Meh, I liked the beach on the Turtles' island better," Luke said as Michael sat down beside him. "How about you?"

"I was partial to the Dingos'," Michael admitted. "Though I haven't gone there more than once."

"Not a big beach guy, I assume?" Luke chuckled.

"Do I look like one?" Michael asked in deadpan.

"All right. Who's the target this time?" Luke asked.

"Ilyria," Michael replied. "Challenge threat."

"I see. Well, sounds good," Luke laid back on the sand.

Michael coughed. "...Sounds good? No rebuttal? No inane comment?"

"Ilyria's kind of rude," Luke shrugged. "Not much else to say. I would've wanted her out anyway."

"...Okay," Michael stood. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," Luke basked in the sun. "Positive."

"All right," Michael walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"I did some more thinking. Ilyria is the most physically inclined in the island. Ruby is second, arguably. And I'm third. I'm pretty sure the alliances aren't going to last forever, so I need the physical threats still in the game for as long as I can- targets to hide behind. Meaning, I can't have Ruby _or_ Ilyria go home. Which sucks, because those are the targets. So… passive Luke lasted twelve hours. Active Luke is back!"

* * *

 _Night 19_

* * *

Faith stood alone by the fire.

"In need of company?" Luke asked.

Faith looked at him and sighed. "I guess. Can I dump some feelings on you?"

"Talk to me, sugar," Luke winked, taking a seat.

Faith laughed softly. "All right. Have you ever had someone like you and you're not sure if they like you back?"

"Ooh, juicy," Luke smirked. "Once or twice. I've also been on the other end. Why?"

"Well," Faith shrugged. "I think Kevin likes me. Like, _like_ likes me."

"A triple 'like'? This is serious," Luke laced his fingers. "So, do you like him back?"

"That's the thing," she said, distressed. "I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't get romantically attached to anyone. It would interfere with strategy. I've been so focused on _not_ liking anyone that I can't tell if I _do_ like him or not."

"An interesting predicament," Luke said. "Here's what I'd do. First, make sure you're one hundred percent sure he likes you. That would be an awkward moment for both of you if he didn't."

"I'm pretty sure… but not certain," Faith said.

"Second, take about an hour, by yourself. Don't think about strategy at all, just on a personal level. 'Do I like Kevin?' You're smart. You'll know."

Faith nodded. "That's sound advice. I'll try it, at least."

Luke looked at the sky wistfully. "Just… make sure to tell him how you feel. Don't leave him wondering, because that… well don't," he said.

"Admittedly, there's another thing on my mind. And yeah, it's a game thing," Faith said, slightly ashamed.

"Rant!" Luke commanded.

Faith needed no more persuasion. "I'm so angry at Arianna right now, honestly. She's been on my back for quite a while. Now… we've been trying to get her out forever, and she's the swing vote, walking around like she's invincible. And she's right! We need her for the majority! Isn't that just a terrible irony?" She laughed humorlessly.

Luke's eyes widened. "Well…"

"We,ll what?"

"Just a random idea," Luke began, "But what if Arianna was blindsided?"

She shook her head. "I was going to talk to the alliance, but they had their sights set on… someone else."

"Not what I meant," Luke clarified. "What if you, me, and someone else blindsided her?"

Faith looked interested. "I'm listening."

"Well, my alliance is voting for someone I'd rather keep in the game for the time being," Luke explained. "I'm going to venture that you guys are voting for Ruby, just based on how Kevin and Ilyria reacted last night. I'd also like to keep her in the game. I want someone other than those two out, and you specifically want Arianna out. It's the perfect crime."

"I see," Faith said. "Who were you thinking as our third vote?"

"Ruby," Luke said. "She's resented Arianna from the get-go, and you two are close. You could convince her."

"I could…" Faith thought out loud. "After that, it'll be a split again."

Luke shrugged. "I'm not thinking in terms of alliance lines. I vote however it suits me. I'd turn on Michael afterwards, for example, if it was to my benefit."

The corners of Faith's mouth rose. "It sounds mischievous. I'm in. I'll try to talk to Ruby."

"Sounds good."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"A part of me is wondering how the alliance is going to react, but I'm pretty certain they'll enjoy having the biggest threat out of here."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Boom-sizzle! Active Luke is back at it again! Ruby and Ilyria, thanks to that deal, are my new shields, in which I can hide my strength behind… for the next vote or two. After that, both will need to go. I mean, they _are_ challenge threats, and the finale is a challenge, not a vote. Yessiree, I'm playing for the long haul."

* * *

Kevin lay down in the shelter. Ilyria sat nearby on a stump.

The scene was peaceful, tranquil. The only sounds were the chirping of birds and the faint rush of wind, rustling leaves.

Indeed, there was little that could detract from the serenity-

"OH (CENSORED)!" Kevin exclaimed, sitting up.

"Language," Ilyria called.

"No!" Kevin suddenly stood, pacing back and forth. "This is bad, bad, bad!"

Ilyria walked over. "Okay, Kevin. Calm down. Verbalize."

He shook his head. "Michael has an advantage. He was going to play it at Verloor but Arianna did instead. That means they have the leg up on us, even if we have Arianna on our side! This is bad…"

Ilyria frowned. "Okay. So, let's think this out. Michael was going to play an advantage."

"Yes," Kevin confirmed.

"He knew it would put him ahead of a split vote," Ilyria said.

"Yes."

"Was he going to play it before Arianna played her advantage?" Ilyria asked.

Kevin said nothing.

"Kevin?"

"Thinking," Kevin snapped. "Faith was walking over to vote… and… right before Arianna stood… Michael was about to get up. Yes."

"Then it's obviously immunity," Ilyria stated. "Which does not bode well for us."

"But…" Kevin scratched his head. "Something isn't adding up. Why would Michael play immunity for anyone other than himself? He doesn't seem like the generous type."

Ilyria's eyes widened. "Maybe he can _only_ play it for someone other than himself!"

"That makes perfect sense," Kevin agreed. "So… should we change our vote to Michael?"

"It seems like the logical decision," Ilyria replied. "I'll tell Faith. Do you want to talk to-"

"Arianna's smart," Kevin conceded. "Plus, Michael probably told her about the advantage. I don't think there's any need for us to restate the obvious."

"All right. I'll not waste time," Ilyria stood. "Good job catching that."

"Thanks," Kevin muttered.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Kevin is smart. Not in the cunning way, like Michael, but analytically. He can think of outcomes and apply them to make logical conclusions. What can I say? He's a solid leader."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I spend a lot of time thinking about the past. Can you blame me?"

* * *

Arianna found Michael on top of a hill, reading.

"The vote is still Faith?" She confirmed.

"Yep," Michael agreed.

"Are you sure? You don't sound too certain," Arianna said, layering her voice with honey.

"I'm certain," Michael grunted. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm reading."

"Come on," Arianna taunted. "You've been reading the same book for as long as I can remember."

"Good book."

"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted. I just thought you'd like some information," Arianna said temptingly.

Michael said nothing.

"...About Luke…" She added.

Michael turned a page without looking up.

"...Concerning the alliance…"

Michael looked up. "Is there something specific you want or would you like to keep pretending to torture my mind?"

Arianna groaned. "You're no fun."

"Neither was Pavlov, I'm sure," Michael returned his attention to his book.

"Who?"

Michael snapped his book shut. "You know. Dogs? Steaks? Bells?"

"I'll let you teach me about Pavlov if I can spill some beans," Arianna giggled.

Michael sighed. "All right. What is this information that you're oh so coyly trying to keep a secret?"

"Well," Arianna sat down beside him. Michael immediately stood. "Luke wanted me to throw the last immunity challenge."

"Neat."

"And he was willing to tell me how you guys were going to vote if I did," she added.

"Okay," Michael said. He stretched. "Anything else?"

Arianna scowled. "You know, life's more fun without a pole up your butt."

"Mature. I'm leaving," Michael walked away.

"Well, go ahead and do that!" Arianna called after him.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Michael's just messing with me. Isn't Pavlov a dessert?"

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I tried my best to hide it, but that was useful information. Luke's making deals behind my back, huh? Well, I'd be worried if he wasn't. Nevertheless, maybe I should keep a closer eye on him from now on."

* * *

"There you are," Faith said as she spotted Ruby.

"There I am," Ruby agreed with a giggle. "How's it going?"

"Bit of a sunburn, bit sore, but overall, pretty good," Faith replied. "You?"

"Nervous about what's to come, as per usual. Do you think I worry too much?" Ruby asked.

Faith chuckled. "Sorry, but that's a little ironic, don't you think? You're worrying about if you're worrying."

Ruby's featured softened. "I guess."

They said nothing for a few moments.

"Kevin and Ilyria don't want to work alongside you," Faith admitted. "They're pretty dead set on getting you out, even if it means working with Arianna."

Ruby hung her head. "I see. Well, you tried. I always knew-"

"Notice," Faith interrupted, "how I did not mention myself."

Ruby broke into a surprised grin. "There's a plan?"

"Of course! I wouldn't let my best friend go home just like that," Faith said. She dropped her voice. "Here's what I'm thinking. Luke and I want to blindside Arianna. We just need your vote."

Ruby nodded. "I can't lie, I'm not fond of Arianna. I think we'd all be better off without her. But what happens next?"

Faith adjusted her glasses. "Luke said he'd be willing to blindside Michael next. Then, it could be us three in the majority until the final three- or we could bring one of the others instead, if you wanted."

Ruby's grin slipped off her face. Before Faith noticed, she replaced it with forced cheerfulness. "Yeah. That sounds… great."

"Awesome," Faith stood. "Well, I personally can't wait to see Arianna gone!"

"Right…" Ruby muttered as Faith left.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that Faith wants to include me… but this plan might not work to my benefit or Michael's in the long term. Basically, Luke said he's going to flip on Michael after this vote. That automatically puts us in the minority. Still, I could work around it, and getting Arianna out would be great for our gameplay… I'll have to think about it."

* * *

 _Day 20_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: Unknown Island**_

"Ah!" Chris said. "Are you the new girl?"

Beck and an unusually tall girl approached.

"Yeah," Beck agreed. "This is-"

"Irish," Irish interrupted, striding up to Chris and giving him a rigourous handshake. "Irish Mint, to be exact."

Chris snickered. "Irish Mint? What are you, a Beans Baby?"

Irish gripped Chris' hand hard, still shaking it. "No, sir."

Chris stepped away, clutching his hand.

"What happened to your eyebrows and forehead?" Irish blurted. "You look like an undercooked corn dog."

"...And that's your cue to get out of my sight."

"Very well," Irish said. She walked away.

Beck looked at Chris, apologetic. "Sorry. She's a new hire- not a lot of people are in the mood for randomly flying to Australia to appear on an obscure Canadian reality TV show. She's supposedly a tech genius."

"Because that totally helps on a season without technology." Chris sighed. "She's already on strike two. Don't let her disappoint me."

"I won't."

"Where's Logan?" Chris asked.

"I'm taking his shifts," Beck explained. "He's in the trailer with a pint of ice cream, watching sad teenage romance movies."

"Ouch," Chris winced. "If It were anyone else, I'd fire them, but Logan… he's kind of growing on me."

Beck smiled to the camera. "Here come the contestants."

The seven remaining players were indeed walking- or, rather wading- to the tiny island on which everyone was situated.

"Hello, contestants!" Chris said.

"Howdy doody there!" Luke said.

Chris ignored him. "First things first. Ilyria, as the previous immunity winner, please choose one person to receive the Curse of K'wala."

Ilyria thought about it.

"...Ruby," she finally said.

Ruby sighed.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I don't see any advantage to _not_ cursing Ruby. The last thing we need is for her to win immunity, after all. Add that to her being behind Addie's elimination, and… there you have it."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I'm not going to lie; I saw this one coming from a mile away. Hopefully, Luke or Michael wins immunity so they can get the others back."

* * *

"All right. Next," Chris said, "Please give a Total Drama welcome to our new intern, Irish!"

Irish raised her hand so she could be seen. Other than that, she made no move to acknowledge the contestants.

"She's standoffish," Faith nudged Kevin.

"You're telling me," he smirked. They giggled to each other.

Behind them, Ruby made a motion like she was strangling the air.

"Now! Let's get to the challenge," Chris said.

He gestured to the obstacle course behind him. "Ta da!"

"For this challenge," Beck explained, "You must complete a series of obstacles. First, you must swim under a low wall. Then, you must move across a rope ladder onto a platform. From there, take your corresponding ball and toss it into a basket to release a key ring. From there, swim back and use one of the keys to release a banner. First person to do so wins immunity."

Chris continued. "Also, this challenge is for a reward."

"That's right," Beck confirmed. "The winner will receive…"

He continued after a brief pause. "...Ice cold soda, potato chips, and hot dogs!"

Several contestants salivated at this.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Papa wants me some HOT DOGS, baby! Only thing that would make that better would be if they were served on a croissant. Maybe I can ask about it if I win."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I haven't had real food in so long. I'm trying my hardest for this one. There's only so much coconut a girl can take."

* * *

"Well, if that's settled, we'll get started. Line up!"

There was a brief time jump, at the end of which, everyone was in their positions.

"Almost forgot," Beck said. "Ruby, as is your curse today, your keys will be distributed into three bags. You must land three baskets to get them all."

Ruby shrugged. "Not that bad, considering what could have been."

"Is everyone ready?" Beck asked.

…

…

…

…

…

"Go!"

The seven players waded over to the wall.

Faith and Michael, the smallest members of the group, immediately dove under the wall.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then both of them came up on the other side and continued into the ladder.

Back on the other side, the others were hesitating.

"JUST DO I-" Luke screamed as he dove under.

"Sorry, suckers. I have a challenge to win," Arianna smirked as she, too went under.

They appeared a moment later on the other side.

Kevin, Ruby, and Ilyria all exchanged looks.

"Claustrophobic," Ilyria said.

"Fear of drowning," Ruby said.

"Simple lack of motivation," Kevin said. "But I have to beat you, Ruby."

He dove under.

Ruby and Ilyria were the last ones left. Neither of them were moving any time soon.

Michael and Faith were neck and neck, climbing the rope ladder.

"This is surprisingly unstable," Michael commented as he wobbled.

"Heard that," Faith replied. On cue, she fell off. "Dang it!"

Michael chuckled at her misfortune before falling off as well.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Huh. I really thought I would be better at this. I suppose I'm more mentally than physically inclined."

* * *

Luke was next. "An abandoned bridge… LUKE TIME! Dun dun dun dun…"

"Use your hands, idiot!" Michael called as Luke tried to walk across.

"...dun dun dun dun DUN DUN DUN DUN!" Luke sang in a spy-ish theme. Shockingly, he made it all the way across.

"Physics? What physics?" Michael muttered.

He, Faith, and Arianna made it to the beginning at the same time.

"Not happening!" Arianna called out. She pushed the two off the platform at the same time.

She then started her own journey across the bridge. Slowly but surely she crawled, until making it to the other side.

"Easy," she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna

"Surprised I'm in second? Because I'm not."

* * *

Kevin was at the platform. "Here goes nothing."

He crawled across quickly, keeping his hands far in front of him.

"Looks like that summer camp paid off," he said with satisfaction as he saw that he was at the end.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Yeah, I went to a summer camp. A counselor, in fact. I quit since the kids wouldn't respect me. Not a great summer."

* * *

By this point, Ilyria and Ruby had finally made it under the wall. They came to the platform at the same time as Michael and Faith, so all four of them were standing on the same square of wood.

"After you," Ilyria gestured to Faith.

"Go ahead," Faith offered to Ruby.

"You can go," Ruby said to Ilyria.

"How about I'll go, and you girls figure out the rest," Michael muttered. He started to shuffle across the bridge, only to fall off again.

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"Seriously? It's the top seven, and those three, despite being at each other's throats, are still prioritizing politeness. Unbelievable."

* * *

Luke had made it to the baskets. "Looks like I'm… blue!"

He grabbed the ball. It was about the size of a soccer ball, but filled with holes so it would float, and attached to a string so it could be pulled back.

"Attempt ONE!" Luke heaved the ball.

...It landed in someone else's basket.

"Shoot," Luke muttered as he pulled it back.

Arianna arrived on scene. She grabbed her ball, which was red, and began to try and land it in her basket.

Her first throw was far short. So was her second.

"Crap…" she muttered as she pulled it back.

Kevin came next. He looked for his ball- it was green. He was about to throw in his basket, but-

"Did someone already do mine?" He asked. His bag was dangling in front of him.

"...No," Luke coughed as he shot again.

Kevin shrugged, grabbed his keys, and jumped into the water to swim back.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"...Okay, I _let_ him have that one because he's not my target anyway. Yeah. That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

* * *

Behind him, Ruby, Faith, and Ilyria were all climbing across the rope bridge.

"Woah!" Ruby wobbled. She regained her footing, adjusting the positioning of her feet. Unfortunately, she accidentally stepped on Faith's hand. She toppled over, catching Ilyria's arm and taking her down too.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"That's the _second_ time someone's stepped on my hand in _two challenges!_ "

* * *

"Oops…" Ruby looked down at the two girls in the water. She climbed forward and made it to the platform.

"And I'm pink, it looks like," she smiled. "Breathe, Ruby, breathe."

She sank the ball in one shot.

"Yes," she muttered. Then, grabbing the bag of keys, she turned to her next basket.

Once again, she sank the ball.

"Are you kidding me?" Arianna scoffed. She herself shot her ball, which bounced around the rim of the basket before landing in.

Ruby frowned. She shot her ball into the last basket, which landed perfectly without touching the rim.

Both girls dove in the water and swam back, leaving Luke alone on the platform.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"In addition to curling, I also play shooting guard in basketball, centre field in basketball, and I dabble in darts. I'm not the best, but I'm decent. Getting three shots in a row was luck, though." She giggled. "But they don't need to know that."

* * *

Ilyria and Faith simultaneously reached the platform.

"Let's do this," Faith muttered, grabbing an orange ball.

"Yes, let's," Ilyria agreed, grabbing an yellow ball.

"You can try, but it's harder than it looks!" Luke insisted. He shot his ball, but it, once again, landed in the wrong basket.

"Whose is that?" Luke asked.

"Um…" Faith looked at the basket. "Michael."

"Oh, he's not coming for a while," Luke said, satisfied.

Michael then appeared. "Pardon?"

"GAH!" Luke flung his hands back, releasing his grip on the ball, which obviously landed in his basket.

The two boys took their bags and swam off.

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"God… that rope bridge was brutal. I only made it across by, ah… 'scooching'. I'm glad no one was filming."

* * *

Faith and Ilyria were the last ones to shoot.

"Hey," Ilyria remembered. "You're aware Michael has an immunity advantage?"

Faith shot the ball, which landed close. "I figured it out. Is he playing it for Ruby?"

"If he's smart, yes," Ilyria grunted, her ball landing far.

Faith pulled her ball back. "Good to know. So we're voting for Michael?"

"We are," Ilyria agreed. She too pulled her ball back.

Both girls landed their next shot.

"Good luck!" Faith said as they dove off the platform on opposite sides.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I'm pleased to know that Faith is on board. But then, why wouldn't she be? We have the perfect plan."

* * *

"Look," Beck muttered to Irish. "You have to show a little respect for Chris."

Irish looked confused. "When did I disrespect him?"

Beck coughed. "Ha ha. I'm serious."

"So am I," Irish glared. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Forget it. Just… be very careful around Chris," Beck admonished.

"Here come the first three," Irish noted.

Arianna, Kevin, and Ruby had all arrived. Each of them stepped up to their respective chest.

"Arianna, Kevin, and Ruby are tied for the lead! But with so many keys to try, who will win?" Chris asked.

Irish was about to say something. Beck clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Come on, lucky key," Kevin muttered. It didn't fit in the lock.

"Mine, mine…" Arianna tried a key, which didn't work.

Ruby combined her three key rings. Her first one didn't take.

"HEEEEERE'S LUKEY!" Luke shouted as he ran over to his chest.

He tried his first key, which also did not work.

About a minute passed. Michael, Faith, and Ilyria has not yet arrived.

"Will anyone get their chest open?" Chris asked, panicked.

"Obviously, yes," Irish muttered.

Arianna, Ruby, Kevin, and Luke frantically tried to open their chests.

Suddenly, one chest popped open. The contestant took the banner and held it up.

"You've done it!" Chris said. "Congrats…"

…

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"...Luke!"

"Yes!" Luke pumped his fist.

Suddenly, Arianna's chest opened as well. "Cripes…"

Chris walked over. "Congratulations, Luke! You're unable to be voted out tonight. In addition, tomorrow morning, your reward will be waiting for you at camp."

"Awesome!" Luke said.

Chris looked at the others. "The rest of you, I've got nothing except a date at Verloor Island. See you tonight, where one of you is going home."

"No (CENSORED), Sherlock," Irish said, loud enough for Chris to hear.

Chris turned around. "What did you just say?"

Irish shrugged. "Just mentioning how you keep stating the obvious. No offence."

Chris turned around. "You know what? Here's something that should be obvious. You're-"

"Quitting? Yes," Irish agreed. "I'm tired of dealing with you lower life forms. Besides, since I'm quitting before you fire me, I still get paid."

Chris opened his mouth. No sound came out.

"So long, moron," Irish walked away. "And to think, I was going to mention the-"

Then she was gone.

"Wait, the what?" Ilyria protested.

"Ignore her," Beck replied. "She's kind of crazy."

Chris stared at where she left. "You can't- You won't- Agh! I DON'T PAY MY INTERNS!"

"You guys can leave," Beck said to the contestants. "We'll sort this out."

They left.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"It feels nice to have immunity, but it feels much nicer that they're letting me eat my hot dogs on croissants! Yeah! You heard me!"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Thankfully," she says, "Ruby didn't win. Now it's time for her to get what's been coming to her for too long."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I'm stuck with this decision. Do I vote with my alliance for a good person, or against my alliance for a bad person?"

* * *

 _Night 20_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave (Immunity: Luke)**_

"What do you think Irish was talking about?" Beck asked Chris. "As she left, I mean."

"It's not important," Chris muttered. "The nerve of some people! How rude!"

"I-"

"Shut up," Chris snapped. "I need a sponge bath. You do the ceremony."

Chris stormed off.

"Okay then…" Beck said.

He waited for a while before the contestants arrived.

"Welcome, contestants!" Beck said as everyone sat down. Arianna had noticeably distanced herself from everyone else.

"Let's get straight to the questions," Beck said. "Ilyria, you were particularly close to Addie. When you learned that Ruby was behind his elimination, how did you feel?"

Ilyria barked a hollow laugh. "How do you think? Furious. At Ruby, at Michael, at Luke."

Ruby shrunk away.

"But not at Arianna?" Beck asked.

"Ironically," Kevin said, "we determined that Arianna was the only one _not_ involved in eliminating Addie."

"Hm," Beck said. "So, this has to put a target on Ruby's back. Michael?"

Michael chuckled. "It probably does. However, she will not be going home tonight."

Beck raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"I am," Michael said simply.

"Faith, where do you stand?" Beck asked.

Faith breathed a shaky sigh. "I like Ruby. I don't want to vote her out. But I will when I must. Is that now?" She asked rhetorically.

"And Arianna," Beck said. "You've received more votes than anyone else over the past two conclaves. How confident are you that you are safe?"

Arianna smirked. "Considering I'm the swing vote, everyone needs me. They'd be stupid to let me go now. So… I'd say ninety-five percent."

An ominous silence followed this statement.

"All right. It's time to vote," Beck said. "We'll go in alphabetical order, so Arianna, you're up."

Arianna went over to the voting hut. She wrote down a name. "Bye bye! I'm not going to miss you!"

Faith was next. "This had better work."

Ilyria was after her. "Ruby, this is what you get for betraying my trust. I'm sorry you had to provoke this."

Kevin was after her. He wrote down a name without speaking, before returning.

Luke went next. "...Let's do something crazy, folks!"

Michael went after him. "Ilyria, you are the strongest player here. I'm rather surprised you didn't win this challenge. Luckily, it will be your last loss."

Ruby was last. "Um… um…"

Finally, she wrote down a name, before returning.

"I'll tally the votes," Beck said.

There was silence from all the contestants.

Beck returned. "If anyone has an advantage and would like to play it, the time is now."

Kevin looked at Ilyria.

Ilyria looked at Ruby.

Ruby looked at Arianna.

Arianna looked at Michael.

Michael… stood up. "Beck."

He walked over. "This advantage allows me to give immunity to anyone other than myself."

"That is true," Beck confirmed.

"I'd like to play it for Ruby," Michael finished. "That's all."

Ruby looked surprised at this development, but not unpleasantly so.

"Michael-" she began.

"I'll tell you later," Michael waved his hand.

Beck looked at the others. "Anyone else?" When no one spoke up, he nodded. "I'll read the votes."

He read the first piece of paper. "The first vote… is for Michael."

"Oh?" Michael said, surprised.

Beck continued. "The second vote… is for Ilyria."

Ilyria did not appear worried.

"The third vote…" Beck paused. "...is for Arianna."

"Huh," Arianna shrugged.

"...As is the fourth vote," Beck continued, showing everyone the paper. "That's two votes Arianna, one vote Michael, one vote Ilyria."

Everyone stayed quiet.

"The fifth vote goes to…" Beck waited. "...Michael."

Michael shook his head. "Not good."

Beck read the sixth vote. "The sixth vote is for Ilyria."

Ilyria nodded. She started rallying numbers in her head.

Beck unfolded the last vote and read it. "The twelfth person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

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"...undecided, as of now," Beck finished.

He showed everyone the last vote. "The last vote is for Ruby. It doesn't count, but that doesn't matter since she wouldn't be included in the revote anyway."

"Oh geez," Kevin shook his head.

Beck looked at everyone. "This is how the vote will work. Everyone other than Arianna, Ilyria, and Michael must vote again for either Arianna, Ilyria, or Michael. If there is another tie, everyone other than those three- that is, Faith, Kevin, Luke, and Ruby- will compete in a tiebreaker. So… if you want to change your vote, it might be beneficial."

Everyone nodded.

"Once again, we'll go in alphabetical order. Faith, take the urn as you go."

Faith went up to vote. "Arianna, you've been on my tail for too long. Hopefully, you leave tonight."

Kevin was next. "Michael, I respect you, but you must go."

Luke was next. He said nothing as he wrote down a name.

Ruby was last. "Oh… this is even harder than the last one! And I don't want to risk a tie…"

She wrote down a name and returned.

"I'll tally the votes," Beck said.

He did, and returned.

"I'll read the votes," he said.

Ilyria raised an eyebrow. "Back on day one, Logan never read the votes. He merely named who was eliminated."

Beck shrugged. "That was the unanimous one, right? Well, this vote isn't. So, I'll read the votes."

Ilyria nodded.

"The first vote…" Beck paused. "Michael."

Michael sighed. "Whatever."

"The second vote… Arianna."

Arianna began to appear fazed.

"The third vote… Ilyria."

Ilyria's eyes widened. "Oh."

Beck, painstakingly slowly, read the final vote. "The twelfth person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala, for real this time, is…"

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"...Arianna," Beck finished gravely.

"Arianna?" Kevin repeated, looking at Faith.

"Arianna?" Michael repeated, looking at Luke.

"ARIANNA?" Arianna herself roared. "But I- you just- I- you need me!"

Luke dusted off his shoulder. "Nope," he repaired poetically.

"Arianna," Beck said, "You've finished the game in seventh place. It's time for you to go."

"UGH!" Arianna screamed as she stomped off.

"Well," Beck looked at the group. "If this split vote was any indication, it looks like the alliances aren't as strong as they seem. Get some rest, everyone. We'll see you at the next challenge."

Everyone walked off.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Voting off Arianna was a smart move. All I need to do now is get Kevin and Ilyria to agree."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I made my choice. I voted for Ilyria with Michael, and I'm sticking with Michael to the end. I owe him that much. I'm sorry, Faith."

* * *

Beck turned to the camera. "I guess this just goes to show that you can't get cocky in this game, or it'll be your undoing."

"WAIT!" Chris ran over, clothed in only a towel. "Are we doing the outtro?"

"Yes," Beck said, annoyed.

Chris nodded and looked at the camera. "Will Luke succeed in keeping the target off his back?"

"Will a romance form between Faith and Kevin?" Beck asked.

"And will Ilyria ever avenge Addie?" Chris asked. "Find out soon on…"

"Total!" Beck shouted.

"Drama!" Chris added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" They said together.

* * *

Final Confessional: Arianna- 7th Place

"I knew I never should've taken Faith out of my crosshairs! It was my worst mistake. Of course it didn't help that no one was thinking straight! I was the critical vote! Good luck to anyone trying to get the numbers now."

* * *

 _The Votes_

 _Arianna voted for… Ruby (Immune)_

 _Faith voted for… Arianna_

 _Ilyria voted for… Michael_

 _Kevin voted for… Michael_

 _Luke voted for… Arianna_

 _Michael voted for… Ilyria_

 _Ruby voted for… Ilyria_

 _-Tiebreaker Votes:-_

 _Faith voted for… Arianna_

 _Kevin voted for… Michael_

 _Luke voted for… Arianna_

 _Ruby voted for… Ilyria_

* * *

 **So, that just happened. No shoutouts for anyone this time, but my offer still stands- anyone who can correctly predict the elimination gets a shoutout.**

 **Let's talk Arianna. Originally, she was going to be the main antagonist of the season. Then, I thought 'What if the girl who everyone thinks will be the villain is actually a good girl deep down?' So I randomly made her good without any development in between. Then I eliminated Spencer and… I couldn't justify writing good girl Arianna anymore. Nor could I justify low-key flirt Arianna. So she turned into enraged Arianna, who, since she had nothing to lose and a one track mind, was dangerous. She said it best- deviating from that one-track mind might have indirectly caused her elimination. All in all, she wasn't as well-written as she could have been, but hey- she's gone, so that's good.**

 **I decided to split the vote because I felt like my votes were kind of getting unrealistically 'one-or-the-other'.**

 **How did you guys like Irish? I struggled to make a tech genius relevant in a survival-style show, so in the end she just kind of ended up being an intelligent but tactless intern, leading to her firing. My queue is full, so I don't need any more. CreeperGav is next, followed by Beastboycoolman15.**

 **The challenge was voted in by you guys! It received 55 percent of the votes. The next one is a secret, but I don't think it'll be a surprise.**

 **Fired Interns:**

 **Kayla (Day 16; Reason: Psychopath)**

 **Mitzi (Day 18; Reason: Played With Fire)**

 **Irish (Day 20; Reason: Mean But Technically True)**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipients: Ruby**

 **7th- Arianna- The Toxic Ruthless**

 **8th- Addie- The Kleptomaniac**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**

 **PS- Tell me if I forget the elipses next time!**


	16. Ep13: An Alliance Divided

**Hey, everyone!**

 **TotalDramaFan04- I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story! Interesting prediction, but will you be proven correct?**

 **DinoKea- The story behind the votes is that I had noticed how many of the votes were getting too 'one-or-the-other'- that is, there were only two realistic options to vote for. I figured that a blindside would shake it up. As for Michael rejecting the alliance, you're correct in saying it may have benefited him, but he also had a good thing going as it was- and I wanted to show that even the smartest players can make mistakes. Good prediction, and the reasoning is logical, but I obviously won't give anything away.**

 **La Rosa Rossa- Thanks!**

 **Beastboycoolman15- I'm happy to have partially surprised you, and as for your prediction, we'll see soon enough.**

 **KnightLawn- Thank you!**

 **Candela Monsoon- (Exhales with relief.) I'm glad you liked my portrayal of your intern! As I've already mentioned, I'm happy that the elimination was so surprising. For your prediction, well, a lot of people are thinking Ruby, but we'll know very soon.**

 **Michaelfang9- Patience, young padawan. For convenience I posted a schedule on my profile.**

 _ **If you're looking for a new story to try out, consider my new series, Total Drama: Hotel McLean. With fourteen of my own OCs battling it out in Chris' new hotel, It has a completely different vibe to this one, but I think you'll enjoy it if you like this. Check it out!**_

* * *

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _After Arianna revealed that Ruby was a traitor to her original alliance, the battle lines were drawn, with Ilyria, Kevin, and Faith gunning for Ruby, and Ruby, Michael, and Luke gunning for Ilyria, leaving Arianna as the all-powerful swing vote. However, a combination of Luke's desire to keep the challenge threats around as shields and Faith's reluctance to vote out her longtime friend led to a split vote and a blindside that sent Arianna home._

 _Six are left! Who will succumb to the game next on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 18_

* * *

 _ **Merged Players: Faith, Ilyria, Kevin, Luke, Michael, Ruby**_

The six remaining players had just completed their trek back to camp.

"Some blindside, hey, guys?" Luke asked, flourishing his hands.

No one spoke.

"I mean," Luke tried again. "Arianna's gone. Hooray…?"

"Faith, Ilyria, a word?" Kevin suddenly said, standing.

The girls stood up. Ilyria cracked her knuckles.

Faith sighed. "All right."

The trio walked to the side, out of hearing range. Once they had done so, Kevin wheeled around to stare at Faith, saying nothing. Ilyria stood still.

"I'm quite reasonably annoyed," Kevin began. "You went against the plan and voted out a potential vote for us all."

Faith put on a face of surprise. "That's a large assumption. I don't think you have any proof-."

"Any proof?" Kevin spluttered, suddenly angry. " _Any proof?_ I have logic! I voted for Michael, which means you either voted for Arianna or Ilyria!"

Ilyria glowered at her. "You'd better hope you didn't vote for me."

"Fine!" Faith said, resigning herself. "I voted for Arianna. Are you happy?"

"The exact opposite of happy, in fact," Kevin spat. "Do you realize what you've done?"

Faith grimaced. "I voted out the one person who wanted me gone more than anyone else, and was the largest active threat left? Yeah, I did that."

"The best we can do now is force a tie!" Ilyria snapped. "We're not in control anymore. Arianna had voted for Michael. On the re-vote, she'd have voted for Ruby. But you couldn't let her alone for a single vote!"

Faith was silent for a moment, before she spoke. "Fine. I concede that playing with my heart wasn't the best for us. I think I might have a solution."

"Oh?" Kevin raised an eyebrow.

Faith spoke with hope in her voice. "Luke said he'd-"

"No." Ilyria cut her off immediately. "I refuse to work with Luke."

"I second that," Kevin added. "He's unscrupulous and unpredictable. No one can trust him."

"You're not listening!" Faith protested. "He-"

Ilyria silenced her with a glare. "You haven't been on his team. He's a brilliant actor- he'll act nice to get your vote, but then always have a second or third plan that he could very well also do."

"And he pretends to be more naive than he lets on," Kevin added. "It makes him sneak by each vote. Even now, he's probably justifying his moves or at least acting innocent so nobody will target him. So no. Any plan that uses Luke is not a plan I want to execute."

Faith shook her head. "I vehemently disagree."

"It doesn't matter," Kevin said. "The plan remains as it is- to vote out Ruby."

"Or Luke if she's immune," Ilyria chimed in.

"A- _ha!"_ Faith exclaimed victoriously. "You're criticizing me for making an emotional decision, while making the most emotional of them all!"

"Do tell," Ilyria replied.

"Michael is smarter than Ruby. And when he's actually _trying_ to win, Luke's a threat in challenges," Faith reasoned. "You only want Ruby gone because she voted for Nikki and Addie, which, I might add, everyone else did."

Kevin made a noise like he was choking. "Ah…"

"You are correct," Ilyria repeated. "But _you,_ on the other hand, only want Ruby to stay because she's your friend."

"What's wrong with friendship?" Faith asked.

Kevin replied. "It gets in the way of the game. Our decision is final. You can vote with us or be put in a minority in the final five- or worse, be voted out yourself. This meeting is over."

He left.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Admittedly, I'm a little angry at Faith. Why wouldn't I be? We had a guaranteed final three, and she threw it away because she couldn't bear to vote her friend out. However, she's still a necessary vote right now. Afterward, we'll work things out. I'm sure she can respect my moves in the game and not hold me accountable."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"This game is making me make some hard decisions. Of _course_ it's not fun eliminating someone else. You're effectively ruining their chance at the million. But _I_ want to win. And that means the others have to fall." She holds up her envelope to the screen. "Especially since I'm ninety percent sure I've been fired."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"So, let me get this straight. Kevin is angry at me for making an emotional choice, and yet is allowed to make one himself? Not to mention, they obviously don't trust me anymore, so I'll just be dumped upon reaching the final three. You know… I thought Kevin _liked_ me… but now, I'm not so sure. And I don't even know if I like him…"

* * *

Ruby and Michael were sitting around the fire.

"So, it appears that Luke betrayed us," Michael stated.

Ruby shuddered. "I know. What are we going to do about him?"

Michael shook his head. "Let him have his fun. He's in a bad position and he knows it."

"But he had another vote," Ruby mentioned.

Michael laced his fingers and leaned forward. "I was thinking about that. I'm pretty sure it was Faith- she can't bring herself to vote for you."

Ruby nodded. "It makes sense, but… why?"

"My theory is that- well, actually, that's irrelevant," Michael stopped himself short. "The point is, we might be able to get her to vote for Kevin or Ilyria if we try. Then, unless Luke votes alongside those two, we're golden."

"That's a big _if,"_ Ruby frowned. "Luke can't be predicted. Can we risk that?"

"The worst that could happen is a tiebreaker between those who aren't tied, remember," Michael said. "And, since the others are still dead set on taking you down, that'll mean you're safe regardless."

"I guess…" Ruby shrugged. "You'd be vulnerable."

"Yep," Michael confirmed shortly. "I'd be risking a tiebreaker. However, if the tiebreaker is mental, I should be safe. If it's physical…" he trailed off. "Let's vote for Ilyria, then. I could beat Kevin."

Ruby assented. "Okay. Should I talk to Faith?"

Michael nodded his agreement. "Before the next challenge, preferably. I- _argh!_ " He suddenly leaned forward and clutched his chest.

"Michael?" Ruby's eyes widened. "Michael! Med-"

"Don't call the medic!" Michael listed forward, cupping a hand over her mouth. "Just give me a second!"

An uncomfortable few seconds passed by, as Ruby watched Michael's pained expression slowly return back to normal, and as he sat up straight. "Okay," he continued. "As I was saying-"

"Hold on!" Ruby swatted his shoulder. "You just had a- a- I don't know!"

"I don't know, either," Michael admitted. "I've been having occasional chest pains as of late-"

"This isn't the first one?" Ruby cut in.

"-which I think is a result of my heart not working properly," Michael finished. "And no, this isn't the first one."

"We have to get a medic!" Ruby insisted worriedly. "They can-"

Michael glared at her and she stopped talking. "They can what?" he asked quietly. "They can examine me, determine I'm unfit to play the game, and send me home, where I have no home and no money to go to a hospital to save my life?"

Ruby breathed in deeply.

"I don't know if you understand the magnitude of my situation," Michael leaned forward. "The prize money is my last chance of affording surgery. If one of us doesn't win, I _die._ "

"...I don't want that," Ruby finally said. "But what happens if things get worse?"

"I'll push through," Michael replied. "I've been through much worse at the orphanage. _Much worse._ " He shuddered. "That's not important."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Wait. Your bruises, they're not…"

"Drop it," Michael stood up. "We'll vote for Ilyria, then? Good."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"It's the final six. I'm so close I can _taste_ it. Once I win the tiebreaker, it'll be smooth sailing until the finale. I _must_ win the tiebreaker. I have to."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I'm worried about Michael. He's gone through so much. I just want to wrap him in a blanket and tell him everything's going to be… okay, that's kind of ridiculous when I say it aloud. But I can't stand seeing such a good person go through such bad things."

* * *

Faith's head was low as she walked on a path, kicking rocks out of the way. "Those hypocrites," she muttered.

"Something got you down?" Luke asked. He was snacking on a hot dog, which he had won at the challenge prior.

"It's just that my alliance is reprimanding me for voting out Arianna," Faith sighed. "Can't they see that it was a good choice?"

"Let me guess," Luke smirked. "They want to vote for Ruby, which makes very little logical sense."

"Especially since she'll be immune in the tiebreaker!" Faith exclaimed. "She betrayed them, yes, but they're just completely fixated on getting her out!"

"Tough," Luke shrugged. "Chip? They're sour cream and onion."

He offered her the bag, which she took a chip out of. "Oh my god, that tastes like home!"

"I know," Luke popped a potato chip into his own mouth. "It's a good reminder of what we're playing for." He swallowed. "So who are you guys voting for?"

"I shouldn't say," Faith spoke quickly. "The others don't entirely trust you, and me by proxy since we voted together."

"Your own alliance doesn't trust you?" Luke gasped. "How rude of them. See, if we were an alliance- just a hypothetical here- we'd share everything, and we'd be on equal footing. When I offer an alliance, I offer a final two deal."

Faith gave him a look. "Haven't you repeatedly betrayed your allies? And, aren't you already in an alliance?"

If Luke was worried, he didn't show. "To be fair, my allies were planning on betraying me. I just got ahead of the eight ball. Connie and Renee were about to blindside me, and Arianna… well she's Arianna."

Faith nodded.

"As for my alliance," Luke dropped his voice to a whisper, though more for the effect because nobody was in hearing range. "Michael and Ruby are like peanut butter and jelly. Inseparable. If I stick with them, third is as high as I'm going to get."

"So we're both outsiders," Faith sighed. Then her eyes lit up. "You know…"

"Do I?" Luke asked rhetorically.

Faith chuckled. "An alliance might not be such a bad idea. I mean, we worked well together in voting out Arianna. And we could control the way the vote went, depending on who our alliances wanted to get out."

"We'd be pretty equally matched in the finale, too," Luke added. "You know what? I accept. But let's keep this a secret."

"Of course," Faith agreed, taking another chip as Luke offered one. "So, who are we thinking for targets?"

"Michael and Ilyria," Luke instantly supplied. "Ilyria's the strongest in challenges. Michael's the smartest. Either one of them would work."

"Yeah, they would," Faith said. "I don't really have a preference."

"Nor I," Luke replied. "Let's see how the challenge goes. We can decide later."

"Great," Faith smiled.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I don't get what the others say about not liking Luke. He's rather intelligent, funny, charming… I mean, it could be a facade, but I don't think so."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

Luke laughs. "Poor Faith. Scorned by her own alliance, she goes and makes a deal with the devil. You'd think it'd be a little suspicious that the two targets I come up with are incidentally the people she's the least close to. This gives me options. Now, I can stick with my original alliance and tell her to vote with me, for a 4-2 majority, or flip on my original alliance and force a re-vote, which we'd win. Ah! Gotta love options."

* * *

 _Day 21_

* * *

Michael was sitting alone, twiddling his thumbs idly.

"Not much to do when there isn't a challenge going on," he said to himself.

"Tell me about it," Ilyria appeared.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "No offense, but why are you here?"

"None taken," Ilyria replied, sitting down. "But I'm going crazy from boredom. I need someone intellectually stimulating to talk to."

"Even though we've barely spoken before," Michael added. "Even though we're in opposing alliances. Even though we'd vote each other out at the earliest given opportunity."

"Yes," Ilyria confirmed.

"All right," Michael shrugged. "You want intellectually stimulating conversation. What of?"

Ilyria paused. "Ah… do you know any riddles? I'm a great riddler."

"I do, but they're rather difficult," Michael stated.

Ilyria nodded. "Lay them on me. I think you'll be surprised."

Michael shrugged. "Very well… twins stand at-"

"I've heard this one," Ilyria rolled her eyes. "'Twins stand at a crossroad, one always lies, the other never lies, blah blah blah.' Give me a _hard_ one."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "How confident are you in your chances to answer correctly?"

"One hundred percent," Ilyria boasted.

"Then perhaps we should make a wager," Michael smirked. "I'll ask you a riddle. On the contingency that you get it right, I'll opt out of an immunity challenge of your choosing. But if you get it wrong, you have to throw a challenge for me."

Ilyria chortled. "Do you believe I'll give up my vote for something as important as immunity?"

"Hey, if you don't think you can answer correctly, be my guest."

Ilyria visibly became annoyed. She began to say something, but remained silent. Finally, she said, "...Fine. I'll do it."

Michael suddenly became worried. "Crap. I wasn't expecting you to…" He shook his head. "All right. Give me a second."

"Take all the time you need," Ilyria said confidently.

After a minute, Michael nodded. "Here we go. What has three legs but no feet, can see without eyes, and proves life exists but doesn't live itself?"

Ilyria's eyes widened. "Ah… can I have some time to think?"

Michael smirked. "Yes, but we're staying right here until you give up. I don't want you asking for any help."

"How many guesses do I get?" Ilyria asked nervously.

"As many as it takes," Michael sad smoothly.

Ilyria was silent for a few seconds. "...An echolocation device?"

"With three legs?" Michael replied. "Guess again."

Ilyria's face went red. "Um… I…"

"Giving up already?" Michael sneered.

"No!" Ilyria insisted. "Just… a three-legged pet?"

"Living," Michael tutted. "I can do this all day."

There they sat. The camera panned over from them to the sun, which visibly rose higher and moved across the sky, denoting how several hours had passed.

Michael and Ilyria were intently staring into each other's eyes.

"...I give up," Ilyria stood. She shook her head. "What was it?"

Michael stood up as well, and stretched. "A camera on a tripod. I expect you to comply with our earlier conditions."

"Who do you take me for?" Ilyria asked, offended. "You won. I'll throw the next challenge."

"No," Michael shook his head. "I'm keeping this in mind when I need a favour later. Feel free to try your hardest at the challenge."

They stood up, making several cracking noises.

"...We were there for a _really_ long time," Ilyria said after a brief pause.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

She groans. "I just had to let my competitive nature get the better of me. Now I owe Michael an immunity challenge. He's rather smart, come to think of it. Maybe there is some merit to voting him off, like Faith said… well, I'll keep my options open for as long as I can."

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"Consider that an idle experiment. Ilyria's biggest weakness, I believe, is her meticulousness. It's what makes her so orderly, and what makes her so driven to win. I just wanted to explore that weakness further. And as for why I didn't want her to throw the next challenge, well, I think if I told her to do so she'd think that she's a target. I'd rather see her compete for and lose immunity."

* * *

"Ruby Red!" Luke greeted. "What's up?"

Ruby appeared depressed. She looked up gloomily. "Oh, hey Luke."

"Why so glum, chum?" Luke asked. "It's a sunny day, the birds a chirping-" he stopped talking as Ruby flinched. "What?"

Ruby shuddered. "Sorry… birds. I'm an ornithophobic. Can't stand them, in any way."

"Huh," Luke frowned. "Is that why you're pulling a Michael and acting all mopey-schmopey?"

Ruby smirked. "I wonder what Michael would say if he heard you say that about him," she raised an eyebrow.

"Bah, we're not the island's hottest item anymore," Luke shook his head. "He made it very clear he's not interested. I can respect that. Mikey-Bear is a thing of the past," he put his hand on his chest dramatically.

"Good to know," Ruby agreed. She went back to staring at the ground.

"You still haven't mentioned why you look so downcast," Luke pointed out. "Is the game getting to you?"

"I guess so," Ruby shrugged. On a whim, she added, "Has Michael ever talked to you about his past?"

Luke answered quickly. "I never thought about it. One time he said, just in passing, mind you, that things weren't great where he was from, but nada besides that."

"Oh," Ruby replied quietly. She boredly picked up a stone.

It was as if a lightbulb went off in Luke's head.

"Actually," Luke added, "I heard him murmuring in his sleep about what I think might be his home."

Ruby was suddenly interested. "What did he say?"

Luke scrunched up his face. "Oh, nothing important. Don't quote me here, but he mentioned… a fake letter? And something about fools. Crazy, I know."

Ruby dropped the rock.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Luke asked politely. "I can-"

"No, I should probably go," Ruby said quickly. She did so with a somewhat panicked expression on her face.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"...A fake letter? _Fools?_ Oh no, this is bad indeed. Who do I trust? Michael's smart, but would he lie to me? Or is Luke just spreading doubt everywhere he goes? But wouldn't that mean that he knew about Michael's life already?" She clutches the sides of her head. "Gah!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Psssh, I have everyone here whipped. Platonically, of course. Who knows where this little revelation is going to go? I'll admit I was grasping with the letter, but hey, it had the desired effect. Ruby asking about Michael's home life was the giveaway for me. Heh."

* * *

Kevin was sitting at the team camp. "Wow," he said to himself. "I'm the last original Tepid Turtle left. I don't think anyone was expecting that."

He adjusted positions. "I don't think it was about anything I did right, rather what others did wrong. All things considered, I've played a solid game. I guess I got votes against me back when it was Luke, Nikki, Renee, and me… I was only saved since Luke decided to betray Renee. With the help of Nikki and myself, of course."

Kevin chuckled. "Here I am, monologuing when there's still game to be played. If it's really a final three, then there's only three people to go. But who?"

"Hopefully not me," A new voice said.

"LUKE CICERO, I SWEAR I'LL..." Kevin's voice trailed off when he saw that it was, in actuality, Faith who had spoken. "...Oh."

"Hi," Faith meekly waved. "Can we talk?"

Kevin nodded warily. "Sure. I'm not about to change the alliance plans on us, though," he warned.

"That isn't the issue at hand," Faith sighed.

"What is?" Kevin asked.

There was a lengthy and awkward pause.

"I know you like me!" Faith blurted.

There was, once again, a lengthy and awkward pause.

"Huh? Dang. I thought I was concealing it well," Kevin snapped his fingers. "So… are you saying that you reciprocate my feelings, or are just aware of the fact?"

Faith shook her head. "I think… we should put what emotions we do have on hold."

Kevin raised an eyebrow but nodded for her to continue.

"Relationships… well, I'm very inexperienced in that field," Faith explained with a blush. "I just think that we can't focus on _us_ and the game at the same time. It might mess up both of our chances at the money."

Kevin was quiet.

"You don't hate me, do you?" Faith asked softly.

Kevin shook his head. "Not by a long shot. You're right. We can deal with whatever this is after the game."

"Thank god," Faith sighed. "I was worried you'd- well, I'm glad you're okay with this."

"One thing, though," Kevin added. "Do you like me back?"

He waited expectantly.

"...I should go," Faith replied quickly. She left in a hurry.

"Well, that happened," Kevin frowned. He pulled out a notebook and started to write.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"It felt good to get that off my chest. Now I can play a distraction-free game… as long as I can figure out how I feel."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Emotions are confusing. Luckily, I have some way," he held up his notebook, "To write it all down."

* * *

 _Night 21… Day 22_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: Lake Gellafiche**_

"Ugh…" Chris sat on a lawn chair on the shore, his head in his hands. "I did _not_ get any sleep last night."

"Your coffee, Mr. McLean?" A boy's voice asked.

Chris blinked and saw Beck and a boy in interns' clothing. The latter held a cup of coffee.

"Black, just the way you like it," he gave a dazzling smile.

"Hey, thanks," Chris thanked him. "You're the new guy?"

"That I am, Mr. McLean," he confirmed.

Chris' eyes widened in realization. "You're that kid who was supposed to be on the show! Then you-"

"Got hit by a bus, yes," he finished. "I'm lucky I'm a fast healer. The producers personally selected me."

"Gabriel, right?" Chris asked.

"In the flesh," Gabriel said as he handed Chris his coffee. "The challenge has been set up, and the contestants are about a minute away."

"Good," Chris complimented. "Beck, how's Logan?"

"Same old, same old," Beck sighed. "He doesn't look like he's getting better any time soon."

"Hmm," Chris said with a frown. "That doesn't bode well."

"I hope I'm a suitable replacement," Gabriel stated politely.

"I like this kid," Chris patted Gabriel on the back. "Let's make a great challenge!"

"Yes, let's!" Cheered Gabriel.

They walked away.

"Suck up," Beck muttered. "I could do _so_ much better than that."

It was then that the remaining six contestants arrived, marveling the structure on the lake.

It looked, from above, like somewhat of a snowflake. There was a central platform with six 'arms' jutting out, each looking different.

"Welcome, contestants!" Chris spread his arms wide. "Say hi to the new intern, Gabriel!"

"Hi, Gabriel," Everyone chorused.

Gabriel waved happily.

"Let's get to today's challenge," Chris said simply. "Take it away, Beck."

Beck stepped forward. "Contestants," he said. "Over the past three weeks, you've been pushed to your limits, forced to vote out the people you called teammates and friends."

The contestants' reactions varied, though most were unsure where this was going.

"Sometimes, these vote outs damaged personal relationships and left grudges," Beck continued.

Kevin frowned. "You don't mean…"

"So for this challenge, you'll be working with those past contestants," Beck finished with a smile.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"You mean I get to see Addie again? This challenge just got a whole lot better."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Hmm… well, if I had to choose who I'd be paired with… maybe Connie? We were pretty close before she was voted out."

* * *

Now the final six were smiling, with the exception of Michael, who seldom did.

"Oh, he didn't say they'd be the players you were close with," Chris said, resulting in shocked gasps. "Oh no. Gabriel, do you want to introduce them?"

Gabriel smiled. "Yes, Mr. McLean!"

Beck coughed, which went unnoticed.

Gabriel turned to Faith. "Faith, this player was a large strategic threat. They might have ruled the merge had he made it that far. Instead, you turned on them before they could turn on you, sending them home third."

"Oh boy…" Faith shook her head with a wry smile.

"Please welcome our sixteenth place finisher, Janson!"

Janson rounded the corner, without any flourish of any kind. He looked… tame.

* * *

Confessional: Janson- 16th Place

"Being voted out when I was, was tough. And I still feel guilt over what I had to do to Madeline. All in all, not the best experience."

* * *

"Ilyria," Gabriel said to the agent. "This player was one of the more controversial of the season. They were boisterous, annoying, and poor in challenges, which is why they never even made it through one elimination ceremony."

Ilyria shuddered. "Not him…"

"Please welcome our eighteenth place finisher, Connor!"

Connor stormed forward angrily. He stopped in front of Ilyria soundlessly.

* * *

Confessional: Connor- 18th Place

"I was happy- like, dragon fruit vibe happy- to be coming back. But to work with Ilyria? Totally disturbing my chill. Stupid traitor."

* * *

"Kevin," Gabriel began, "Your partner was a dominant threat all season, with the skills to back it up. In fact, they made it all the way to the merge, where they might have made it farther had they not been blindsided."

"Blindsided?" Kevin repeated. "Wouldn't that mean…"

"Voted out less than forty-eight hours ago, please welcome our seventh place finisher, Arianna!"

Arianna held herself with poise, smirking as she strolled over to Kevin.

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- 7th Place

"After being voted out, things got even worse. Drew hates me, Spencer refuses to talk to me _still,"_ she growls. "And it's all Faith's fault. So I can help Kevy-Wevy win if it means she doesn't."

* * *

"Luke," Gabriel chuckled. "People were practically clamoring to be your partner. It seems you have some scores to settle. But out of all of them, this person seemed insistent on joining you. They were smart, but with no social skills to back it up, leading to their ally betraying them."

"Oh, really?" Luke smiled cockily.

"Please welcome our thirteenth place competitor, Renee!"

"Luke!" Renee shouted as she strode over. "You sniveling backstabbing traitor!"

She hit him with her purse with every word.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- 13th Place

"No, I'm not too bitter about losing, why do you ask? My only regret is not being able to get the scoop- apparently, a psycho tried to blow up the island! And I _missed_ it!"

* * *

"Michael," Gabriel said slowly. "While most of these people have personal vendettas against their partners, your partner for the challenge has the exact opposite. In an interaction we think you hoped would never happen…"

"Anyone but him," Michael said fearfully.

"Please welcome our seventeenth place competitor, John!"

John waved as he strolled over to Michael.

* * *

Confessional: John- 17th Place

"I'm not really resentful about being voted out early. I knew it could've happened. I just hope to resolve things with Michael, since we kind of left it on an… awkward note."

* * *

"And Ruby," Gabriel looked at the girl. "You've played a clean game so far. Nearly everyone angry at you is still in the game. However, there is one player whom you seem to have a rivalry with, which is why we've brought them here."

Ruby looked confused. "Rivalry?"

"Please welcome our ninth place finisher, Nikki!"

Nikki shyly walked over. She brightened when she saw Beck, and waved.

"...We were kind of grasping, I admit," Chris added.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki

"I'm telling you, I'm not mad at Ruby! Sure, she voted me out and I thought Beck liked her more than me, but we're no rivals or anything!"

* * *

"These will be your partners for the challenge," Gabriel finished. "How was that, Mr. McLean?"

"Couldn't have done it better myself," Chris said as Gabriel beamed. "Uh, Beck? You can do your thing too."

Beck's eye twitched. "Okay. This challenge comes with a twist. First of all, I need everyone to close their eyes. Partners too."

They did so.

"Now, current players, raise your hand if you want to switch partners with another contestant."

Ilyria, Kevin, and Luke raised their hands. Faith, Michael, and Ruby did not.

"In that case," Beck said, "Connor, you're now with Kevin. Arianna, you're with Luke. Renee, you're with Ilyria. Make the switch."

The three eliminated contestants moved to stand beside their partners, before everyone else opened their eyes.

"Now Luke," Beck turned to the actor. "As you won immunity last time, choose someone to receive the Curse of K'wala."

"Ilyria," Luke said without hesitation. "We can't have you winning another challenge, now can we?"

Ilyria sighed and shrugged.

Beck nodded. "Luke, you may have the choice to switch Ilyria's partner with your own, if you desire."

Luke looked at Renee, at Arianna, at Ilyria, and back at Renee.

"Nah, I'm good. She can keep Renee."

"Okay, then. These will be your partners for the challenge," Beck finished. "Some interns will now come to handcuff you together."

"Handcuffs?" Squeaked Nikki as she and Ruby were locked together.

"I don't know why I expected better," Kevin sighed as he and Connor were cuffed.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin and Connor

"I don't even know this kid!" Kevin protests.

"Hey, brother, it'll be all groovy," Connor tries to calm the writer.

"...And I don't like him," Kevin decides.

* * *

Confessional: Faith and Janson

"I don't want to jinx it," Faith says, "But I might have this challenge in the bag. As long as _Janson_ here doesn't sabotage me."

Janson tries to throw his hands up in the air and Faith's arm is pulled. "I'm telling you I'm not going to!"

* * *

Once the last pair- Michael and John- were handcuffed, Beck turned to the structure. "Let's get to the challenge."

He pointed to the six branches of the floating obstacles. "This challenge will occur in three rounds, with one challenge per round. If you fail to complete the challenge or can't do it fast enough, you'll be out of contention for immunity."

He gestured to the obstacle on the tips of each branch. "First, you'll be balancing on a series of beams as you walk across. Some sections have beams far apart, while some have gaps so you have to jump. Fall and you start over."

Then his gaze moved to the middle section. "The first four to move on will compete in the second section- a simple sliding puzzle. However, a partition will be put up between the two halves, so you'll only be able to see half the pieces at once."

The gestured to the section closest to the center. "The first two to move on will battle it out, head to head, on a jungle gym-esque course, ending with monkey bars which will be difficult to do while handcuffed. The first duo to reach the center will win immunity and a reward."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria and Renee

"I'm normally good at challenges," Ilyria starts. "But with Renee as my partner, well…"

Renee frowns. "Hey, I'll have you know I'm _entirely_ focused on beating Connor."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby and Nikki

"This is a tough challenge…" the two girls shudder at the same time.

* * *

"And that reward is…" Chris paused for effect. "...a dinner for two! Both partners will be taken to a private coast where they'll enjoy roast beef, Greek salad, and scalloped potatoes, with rhubarb pie for dessert."

"Heck yeah!" Luke cheered, pumping his fist, which made Arianna grimace painfully.

* * *

Confessional: Luke and Arianna

"After winning the last food reward, Papa Lukey's ready to go two for two!" Luke smirks.

"What a dumb challenge last time," Arianna mutters. "Had you been a second later I'd have won."

* * *

Confessional: Michael and John

"Rewards aren't my thing. What I really need right now is immunity," Michael says.

"Still," John adds. "After having to cook for yourself at a run-down motel, roast beef will be nice."

* * *

"Get to your positions and we'll start," Chris said.

After a timeskip, all twelve people were standing at their respective platforms.

"The first four to finish this round will win immunity!" Beck called. "Ready?"

…

…

…

…

…

"Go!" Gabriel exclaimed, a second before Beck did.

"Peppy," Chris complimented, "I like that."

"If only he knew…" Beck murmured.

The teams were beginning on their first set of balance beams- two beams that slowly angled further and further apart.

"Slow and steady," Kevin murmured, holding his arm out so Connor wouldn't be pulled.

"Indeed, brother- woah!" Connor tilted to one side, flaunting his arms to keep his balance. Doing so caused Kevin to be yanked off his beam, which meant Connor fell as well.

"Of course," Kevin spat out some water.

"Heh heh," Connor chuckled awkwardly. "I never claimed to be a good balancer."

One branch over, Ilyria rolled her eyes at Connor. "Let's beat him, Renee."

"Yes!" Renee agreed. She started to walk forward at a quicker pace than Ilyria.

"Hey! We have to move at the same ti-" Ilyria was pulled into the water.

"Seriously?" Renee frowned before Ilyria pulled her in.

On the branch to the left of that, Faith and Janson were making good time.

"And… forward!" Janson said. "And… forward!"

"We're doing well!" Faith smiled. She wobbled a little before continuing.

"But for how long?" Janson asked as they looked in front of them to see a large gap in the beams.

To their left, Luke and Arianna hadn't fallen off, but we're having… mild communication issues.

"Move your hand to the left!" Arianna barked. "I'm being pulled!"

"My left or your left?" Luke said, scratching his chin with his other hand.

"We have the same left!" Arianna spluttered. "Just move it!"

One branch over, Ruby and Nikki were also having issues, though of a different kind.

"So… we're short," Nikki sighed. "This is going to be awkward."

They both started to lean in, reaching their arms toward each other as far as they can.

"Yep… awkward," Ruby agreed.

On the sixth branch, Michael and John were moving efficiently.

"And… jump," Michael said as they hopped to another set of beams.

"Hey, do you want to talk about our… you know…"

"No, I don't," Michael said gruffly. "Keep moving. And… jump."

They realized they were at the end of the balance beam.

"And Michael and John advance to the next round!" Beck said. "Only three spots left in round two!"

"Not good," Connor said to himself. "We have to go- Agh!"

He and Kevin fell off again.

"Come on!" Kevin groaned. "You tie-dye wearing buffoon!"

"Rude," Connor spat.

Ilyria and Renee were suffering from a similar issue.

"Stop moving faster than me!" Ilyria said for the umpteenth time.

"Start moving faster!" Renee shot back. "You're the buff one, miss FBI."

"HAP," Ilyria said under her breath. "But only until I open that letter."

"What was that?" Renee asked, only to be met with silence.

Janson and Faith were finishing the balance beams.

"Forward…" Janson said. "Jump…"

Faith nearly missed the jump and was an inch away from falling off, before Janson jerked his arm towards him, bringing her back.

"And… platform!" Janson finally said. He gave the camera a bow.

"Faith and Janson are the second group to advance!" Beck quickly called out before Gabriel could. "Only two more can advance!"

"One more," Arianna replied triumphantly. "Since we made it."

"That you did!" Gabriel said. "Congrats!"

"I… honestly don't think we can do this…" Ruby said. She and Nikki were almost comically leaning over due to their handcuffs, and the balance beams would get even further apart if the continued.

"No…" Nikki murmured. Then she brightened. "Wait a sec!"

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Do we _have_ to use both beams?" Nikki asked. "Because of we both use the same one…"

"...we can get across!" Ruby finished. "You're a genius!"

They started to walk backward before Ruby walked around and onto Nikki's beam. Without being pulled, the girls were able to make it to the other side.

"And that's the round, everyone!" Beck called.

"So our four groups to advance are Faith and Janson, Luke and Arianna, Ruby and Nikki, and Michael and John!" Gabriel announced. "Leaving Kevin and Connor and Ilyria and Renee without immunity."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin and Connor

"The only thing worse than losing in the first round," Kevin says, "Is having to be chained to this bimbo for the rest of the challenge."

Connor splutters. "Excuse me, but _who are you_?"

"Good question, Mr. Eliminated First," Kevin shoots back.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria and Renee

"That sucks," Ilyria sighs. "I could've used that third immunity."

"And I, the fancy dinner," Renee added. "But it was not to be."

* * *

"Remember," Beck said. "This round is a puzzle in which each of you can only see half your pieces. Teamwork is critical."

The four pairs were staring down their half of the puzzle, while a partition separated the two halves.

"Only two can advance to the final round!" Gabriel called. "Go!"

"Man, you're a godsend," Chris called to Gabriel. "I've barely had to lift a finger all challenge!"

"Thank you, Mr. McLean," Gabriel smiled.

" _Thank you, Mr. McLean,_ " Beck mocked him under his breath.

The puzzlers were slowly moving pieces and talking.

"So I think the picture an aerial shot of the island," Faith told Janson.

"Right you are," Janson agreed. "Do you have the empty space on your side?"

"Bottom," Faith replied. Janson slid a piece onto her side.

"This is probably a bad time," Janson said, "But can I ask for some advice?"

"Sure…" Faith answered, confused. "What of?"

Luke and Arianna, once again, were not communicating as well as the others.

"Do you have the top corner piece?" Arianna asked.

"The what?" Luke replied, not understanding.

" _The piece in the top corner!"_ Arianna shouted.

"So, like, the one that currently _is_ in the top corner or the one that _belongs_ in-"

"Gah!" Arianna smacked the table with her cuffed hand, crushing Luke's hand in the process. The actor howled but picked up the pace.

John and Michael were moving pieces around with almost practiced speed.

"Where's the piece belonging in position C3?" Michael asked. "Shuffle it down to D2."

John nodded and started moving pieces. "Hey, are you sure you don't want to talk about-"

"Put the empty space in A2," Michael interrupted. John moved all the pieces downward until the space was empty, and Michael passed a piece over.

"All right," John said. "But are you sure? Because we can-"

"John." Michael said simply. "Bring it up one more time, and I swear…"

"Okay, geez," John shook his head.

Nikki and Ruby were trying to keep up.

"I think I know how to do this…" Nikki said quietly. "I looked it up once. The trick is to solve the first row and column, then the second row and column, and so on."

"You've done these before?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Only with numbered tiles," Nikki admitted.

Ruby's eyes widened in realization. "Well, do you have a pen? If we write numbers on the tiles, could you solve it?"

Nikki nodded. "I think so!" She pulled a permanent marker out of her pocket. "Now, where's the top left corner piece?"

Faith and Janson were making good progress, although they weren't entirely focused.

"So I've been bringing her food three times a day and waiting at her door in case she comes out," Janson seemed to be finishing a story. "But Madeline's being stubborn. On top of that Abigail still hates me even though I've been trying to make a change!"

"Well," Faith frowned. "I can see why she'd be mad. But I also think if you're genuinely trying to be different, then her anger is irrational."

"Exactly!" Janson agreed. "So what do I do?"

"Hmm…" Faith thought aloud. "Well, maybe you need to let it go."

"Wait, what?" Janson repeated.

"You've apologized countless times already," Faith said, "And she refuses to accept you. I don't think that's on you, even if making her feel this way is."

"So I just stop bringing her food?" Janson asked. "She'll starve."

Faith shook her head. "Keep doing that, because she might actually starve if you don't, but otherwise just leave her be. And if Abigail thinks that you're being insensitive… well, that's also not on you."

"I never thought of it like that," Janson admitted. "How's our puzzle progress coming along? My side looks… complete!"

Faith looked over her pieces. "Mine too! WE'RE DONE!" She shouted.

Gabriel jogged over to verify the puzzle. "...And it looks like Faith and Janson will compete for immunity in the final round!"

"Yes!" The duo high-fived.

"We have to pick up the pace!" Arianna commanded Luke. "Find the piece that goes here!"

"Where?" Luke asked. "I can't see where you're pointing."

Arianna growled. "One from the left, one from the bottom."

"I already gave you that piece!" Luke protested. "You asked for it earlier!"

"That was supposed to be one from the _top!_ Now I have to switch them around!" Arianna groaned. "Stupid actor!"

"Smart enough to have blindsided you," Luke grinned cheekily, only to receive a fist to the face. "This is a painful challenge!"

"Tell me about it," Michael muttered under his breath.

"Look," John was saying. "I get that you aren't much of a talker, but-"

"I said no!" Michael shouted. "Focus on the challenge!"

John was persistent. "I know you have a crush on me, and I get-"

"John Crawford!" Michael stopped working on the puzzle to face him. "I _had_ a crush on you. Not anymore. I'm completely over it. I detached myself. So my emotions are in no way hindering my challenge performance!"

John hesitated. "All right. That's good enough for me. And… are we done? Gabriel!"

Gabriel jogged over and looked over the puzzle. "...No! One or more pieces are out of place."

"Huh?" John looked at his puzzle. "Crap! Two of my inland pieces are switched around. Quick! Shuffle the empty space over!"

"GABRIEL!" Shouted Ruby and Nikki at that moment.

Gabriel looked over their puzzle. "And although they defaced the puzzle, Ruby and Nikki will be the second group to move on to compete for immunity!"

Michael glared at John, who gave a sheepish smile. "Heh… sorry."

* * *

Confessional: Luke and Arianna

"Sure is a shame that we couldn't win," Luke sighs "No repeat win for Papa Lukey."

"Stop calling yourself that!" Arianna slaps him.

Luke looks at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure your, pardon my french, douchiness isn't why Spencer won't speak with you?"

"How dare you-" Arianna starts to repeatedly slap him.

* * *

Confessional: Michael and John

Michael is merely glaring at John.

"...I _said_ I was sorry…" John sighs.

* * *

Faith and Janson, as well as Ruby and Nikki, were now on the third section of the structure, facing the middle.

"To remind you," Gabriel said to the duo of duos, "This final section is a race to the center of the platform through a jungle gym and monkey bars. The first group to have both players' feet planted firmly on the platform wins immunity and a reward."

"Are you girls ready?" Beck asked. They nodded.

"Go!" Gabriel said once again.

"You're on fire today, Gabriel!" Chris complimented. "Finally, a _decent_ intern! It's been too long since I had one of those."

Beck's brow furrowed. "Well, at least I don't have any _secrets_ to hide."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabriel squeaked.

"...Never mind," Beck shook his head.

The pairs were slowly making their way across the jungle gym- a series of bars which crisscrossed in every way possible, making it difficult to navigate.

"We'll step on this red one, and then duck under the orange one," Faith decided as Janson climbed up beside her.

Janson pointed. "Do you think we can shimmy across that green bar there?"

"There's no handholds," Faith replied. "We'd fall."

"But if we didn't, we'd have a huge lead," Janson argued.

Faith put on a conflicted expression. "Um… no, I think we're capable of performing my plan fast. I don't want to fall."

"You're the boss," Janson sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't," Faith replied as they stepped into a red bar and kept moving forward.

Ruby and Nikki surveyed their options.

"How about up there?" Ruby pointed to where a few bars led upward like stairs to the top of the structure. "We won't have any interference."

"That high?..." Nikki asked, worried.

"It'll be a huge timesaver," Ruby tied to convince her.

"What if we fall?" Nikki wondered fearfully.

"How about we don't," Ruby chuckled. "That seems like a safe plan to me, eh?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Nikki shuddered as they started to ascend.

Faith and Janson has selected a plan and were moving with purpose.

"So what's the dynamic like at camp?" Janson asked. "Who's with whom?"

"Let's see…" Faith paused to think, before remembering they were still in a race. "Michael, Luke, and Ruby are in one alliance, and Kevin, Ilyria, and I are in another."

"But…?" Janson prompted.

"Luke and I are in a secret alliance," Faith dropped her voice down unnecessarily. "Because we're both on the bottom of our respective alliances, and we need protection."

"Who are the targets?" Janson asked.

"Ruby and Ilyria. Ilyria's super strong in challenges, and Ruby was playing both sides until she was discovered, which is why Addie and Nikki went home," Faith sounded regretful.

"But you don't want Ruby to go home, since she's your friend and a good bet to take to the final two," Janson inferred.

"Yeah…" Faith sighed.

Ruby was trying to console Nikki as they climbed across.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god…" Nikki repeated as she looked at the water, far below.

"Don't focus on that," Ruby said. "Um… where do you go when you're eliminated?"

"Resort…" Nikki said simply. "We're left to our own devices. Have to cook for ourselves. Make our own fun. No outside interactions."

"Sounds tough," Ruby sympathized.

"It's not so bad…" Nikki assured her. "Abigail and Addie are fun to be around. Very friendly."

"Hey, making friends is always a good thing," Ruby smiled. "And look! We're across!"

Nikki realized that this was true. They climbed down from the jungle gym. "...And now it's time for the monkey bars."

"And now it's time for the monkey bars!" Janson exclaimed from the other side.

He and Faith both tried to figure out how to tackle the problem.

"What if we do this like a three legged race?" Faith asked. "Outside, then inside."

"Works for me," Janson agreed. They both took their unchained hands and put them on the bar, before swinging forward and grabbing the second bar.

"Don't let go!" Faith gritted her teeth. "This hurts enough already."

"It'll all be over soon," Janson reassured her.

"Let's inch across the side of the bars," Ruby decided. "I'm not confident in our ability to use them normally."

"Being original brought us this far," Nikki figured. The girls went to the side of the monkey bars and starting working their way across.

"Do you have any regrets?" Ruby suddenly asked. "Playing the game, I mean."

Nikki was quiet.

"...I shouldn't have trusted you," she finally decided firmly. "That's all."

Ruby gulped as they moved forward.

Faith looked nervous. "Do you think Ruby will be sent home if she doesn't win immunity?"

Janson shrugged- an impressive feat, since he was swinging from bar to bar. "I don't know. I guess so."

Faith sighed.

"Ruby?" Nikki said. "My arms are giving out."

Ruby looked at the finish. "We're close! Can you hold on?"

"I don't know…" Nikki said, worried.

Faith decided something firmly. "Janson. Drop."

"What? Are you crazy?" Janson asked. "Drop?"

"I said, drop!" Faith insisted.

"Ruby! I can't hold on!" Nikki flailed her legs. "I can't!"

"Please!" Ruby said desperately.

Finally, one pair fell of their monkey bars, this gave the other pair the time to make it to the platform.

…

…

…

…

…

"...Ruby and Nikki win!" Gabriel announced.

Nikki instantly collapsed on the ground, victorious. "Yes!"

Janson looked at Faith from the water. "You really _are_ crazy."

* * *

Confessional: Faith and Janson

Janson looks at Faith. "I hope friendship was worth immunity. We would've won."

Faith sighed. "I stand by my decision," she said unsurely.

Janson looked at the camera in deadpan.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby and Nikki

"I finally won immunity!" Ruby cheers. "And what a time for it, too."

"And I get a fancy dinner!" Nikki smiles.

Ruby looks at her partner. "Yeah… about that…"

* * *

"I'd like to give up my reward, if I'm able," Ruby volunteered.

Beck shrugged. "No rule against it, as long as that person doesn't get voted out. To whom?"

"Kevin," Ruby said.

Kevin looked surprised, but pleasantly so. "I'll take it."

"Competitors!" Gabriel smiled. "Despite a valiant effort from all sides, Ruby and Nikki came out victorious and Kevin got the spoils. We'll see you tonight, where one of you will place sixth. That person will not be Ruby."

"Good narrative!" Chris complimented. "Keep this up and I might make you my co host."

" _Co host?_ " Beck repeated with a twitching eye.

Then he gave a sinister smile. "But Chris, you wouldn't want to hire someone in Gabriel's… condition, would you?"

"Condition?" Repeated Chris as Gabriel looked fearful.

"You don't know?" Beck asked. "Why don't you explain it, Gabriel?"

Gabriel sighed. "...I have Dissociative Identity Disorder."

Chris looked confused.

"Multiple Personality Disorder," Gabriel explained.

"Oh!" Chris nodded. "Mmm, yeah, you're fired."

" _What?"_ Gabriel repeated.

"I'm not going to risk another Mike/Mal incident. I like the island in one piece, thank you very much. For what it's worth, you're still the best intern I've had."

Gabriel sighed. "I guess that was to be expected." He turned to the contestants. "Well, bye everyone!"

"Bye, Gabriel!" Everyone chorused.

"And Beck?" Gabriel said innocently.

Beck waited.

Gabriel smirked and flipped him the bird before walking away.

"All right then," Chris rubbed his hands together. "I'll see you guys tonight."

Everyone exited.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"It sure was nice of Ruby to give me her reward. Probably just so I could spend time with Nikki, but I'm not complaining." He suddenly glowers. "That doesn't mean I'm not voting for her at the next given opportunity, though."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Yes, I… threw the challenge. I just think that everyone has Ruby wrong! She deserves to go far. So I have no regrets."

* * *

As the six were walking to Verloor Island, Luke pulled Ilyria aside.

"Ilyria," he said quietly. "I know you're probably mad at me, but I think I have a proposition that's to both of our benefits."

Ilyria nodded. "I don't trust you, but I'm listening."

Meanwhile, Michael and Ruby were talking.

"...And then he made some stuff up about you to make me paranoid! And it kind of worked," Ruby sighed.

"Eh, he's just getting desperate," Michael shrugged. "We'll keep him in a short leash."

"So, is the plan still Ilyria?" Ruby whispered.

Michael paused. "Here's what I think we should do."

Kevin and Faith were walking side by side.

"So you threw the challenge," Kevin sighed. "Of course."

Faith's eyes widened. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm too tired to be mad. Just make sure you vote for Luke tonight."

He quickened his stride and walked away.

* * *

 _Night 22_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave (Immunity: Ruby)**_

"Welcome, contestants!" Beck said as they walked in. "Take a seat."

They did so.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"It's time to see if my master plan pays off. It's the moment of truth!"

* * *

Confessional: Michael

"I'm feeling… maybe not one hundred percent confident, but maybe eighty. This is my game to lose at this point."

* * *

"So it's the final six," Beck smiled. "Congratulations! You outlasted a lot of people. Luke, did you think you'd make it this far?"

Luke thought about it. "I've been in some tough, unlucky spots. But I also believe that making it here has been of my own doing, and no one else's. So yes."

"Speaking of Luke's own doing, you were pretty vocal about your role in Arianna's elimination. Kevin, after she was eliminated, what was camp like?"

Kevin shrugged. "I'd hoped it would have been less tense without Arianna at our throats. But she seems to have left a lasting impact on all of us, since the tensions has barely let up."

Beck nodded. "Anything to add? Ruby?"

"I think Arianna was one of the people who everyone wanted to keep around for strategic reasons, but she was voted out for being toxic on a personal level," Ruby said.

"So even if you were the most strategic of players, it's still an emotional game," Beck summarized. "Is this true? Michael?"

"As much as I would like everyone to only use their heads," Michael began, "At its heart it's an emotional game, yes. Even alliances are often built for emotional purposes."

"Indeed," Beck agreed. "So, we jump to the challenge, and you have to work alongside people who still harbour some resentment for you. What were your first thoughts, Ilyria?"

"My _very_ first thought was 'Holy {CENSORED} this is not going to go well!'" Ilyria said as everyone laughed. "It's definitely difficult to work with people who don't like you."

Beck chuckled. "Faith, you made it far in the challenge. What was the key today?"

"Communication," Faith said instantly. "Janson and I made it as far as we did because we were constantly talking to each other."

Beck nodded. "Well, communicate though you did, win you did not. It's time to cast the votes. As always, we'll go in alphabetical order, so Faith, you're up first."

Faith smiled. "Gee, I haven't been first since the Janson vote-off."

She walked over to the voting area and her expression turned distant. She wrote down a name. "I'm voting for you because you're a threat. It's nothing personal."

Ilyria was next. "Luke made some good points. But is it really worth the risk? I don't know."

Kevin was next. He wrote down Ruby's name into the appear and showed the camera. "You're finally getting your comeuppance. Sorry, not sorry."

Luke was after him. "Ooh, I'm getting a tingly feeling in my toes just _waiting_ for this vote!"

Michael was after him. He silently wrote down a name before returning.

Ruby was last. "Oh, this never gets easier, no matter how many times I do it."

When Ruby returned, Beck stood. "I'll tally the votes."

There was a brief pause.

"Hey, do you think they'd censor the names of brands that didn't sponsor the show?" Luke asked.

No one answered him.

Beck returned, holding the urn. "As there are no advantages left in the game, I'll read the votes."

He unfolded the first piece of paper. "The first vote… Ilyria."

Ilyria nodded. "Okay."

"The second vote…" Beck paused. "Luke."

"Aw, Pepsi. Was that censored?" Luke asked.

Beck rolled his eyes. "The third vote… Michael."

Michael looked at Kevin and Ilyria. "Splitting your votes? It'll be your undoing."

"The fourth vote… Michael," Beck announced.

Michael nodded. "Whatever."

"The fifth vote… Ilyria," Beck stated. "That's two votes Michael, two votes Ilyria, one vote Luke, and one vote to go."

Ilyria shuddered.

Beck, painstakingly slowly, unfolded the last vote. "The thirteenth person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

…

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"...Michael," Beck finished.

"Michael?" Michael repeated. " _Michael?_ " He started to laugh. "There must be some sort of mistake."

"No mistakes, I'm afraid," Beck shrugged.

Michael turned to Luke. "You've _got_ to be kidding me! We had a stable alliance and you turned on _me?_ "

Michael shook his head. "{CENSORED}," he muttered.

He turned to Ruby. "If you don't win, well… you know the stakes."

He left in a hurry, before Beck could say, "Michael, you've finished the game in sixth place."

He looked at the others. "Well, if alliances are turning on each other, maybe no one is safe. Get some rest. You'll need it."

The five remaining players left.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Well, I voted for Luke _like we agreed to do_. Ilyria and Faith have some explaining to do, that's for sure."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

She sighs. "I admit it. I voted for Michael. Luke's willingness to betray him, plus the fact that I owed him a favour, really made me think he's not the tyoe I want around any longer."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Oh no… Michael's gone and I'm in every conceivable minority. What am I going to do?"

* * *

Beck looked at the camera. "Well, at this stage of the game, it looks like you can only trust allies so much."

He looked at the camera. "Will Ruby recover from this setback? Will Faith _ever_ make a non-emotional move? And will Luke continue to control the game from the shadows? Find out next time on…"

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"The Curse of K'wala!"

* * *

Final Confessional: Michael- 6th Place

"Well, that's how it ends for little old me. It was tolerable while it lasted." He gives the camera a questioning look. "What? I mean, if Ruby doesn't win I'm going to die, so I might as well be as cheerful as I can until then."

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Faith voted for… Michael_

 _Ilyria voted for… Michael_

 _Kevin voted for… Luke_

 _Luke voted for… Michael_

 _Michael voted for… Ilyria_

 _Ruby voted for… Ilyria_

* * *

 **That's the episode everyone!**

 **I think everyone who predicted, predicted that Ruby would go home (except for one person who admitted a strong possibility). And had she not won immunity, there's a very good chance she would've. But that's why immunity's there. The challenge remains the same: Who's going home next? Winners get shoutouts.**

 **So... Michael. Where do I begin? Michael started out as an okay character, but kind of fell flat in my opinion, which is why he was set to be an early boot- after John, I didn't think he ha any plot left. Circumstances forced me to push him forward, and boy, am I glad I did. He turned into a sympathetic strategic powerhouse. I'm thoroughly glad with the result, though I feel like I might've foreshadowed his elimination about too heavily in this episode. Well, you live, you learn.**

 **And Gabriel! I had a** _ **different**_ **Gabriel mentioned at the beginning of the story, if you remember that far back. I figured, 'hey, why not make them the same person?' My other idea was to have a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder to not actually reveal any identities, but knowing Chris, he'd still have a bad enough taste in his mouth from Mal that he'd be critical of those with the disorder. My other** _ **other**_ **idea was to show Beck's imperfections. He's the only unflawed character I had left, so my idea was that he couldn't stand someone taking the position that he worked so hard for, perfect though they may be.**

 **Heads up! For anyone writing Mike or Gabriel (as I know he's in a few other SYOCs) the condition is Dissociative Identity Disorder! It hasn't been called Multiple Personality Disorder since, like, '94 or '96. Be politically correct!**

 **The challenge was voted in by you guys, receiving 58(ish) percent of the votes for the top six challenges! Are you satisfied with the result? It gave me nostalgia for the first challenge of the season, with the rapid switching of perspectives.**

 **Beastboycoolman15's intern will be the last new one of the season! The episode after their intern debuts will have something different, and the episode after that is the finale.** _ **The finale? Woah.**_

 **Fired Interns:**

 **Kayla (Day 16; Reason: Psychopath)**

 **Mitzi (Day 18; Reason: Played With Fire)**

 **Irish (Day 20; Reason: Mean But Technically True)**

 **Gabriel (Day 22; Reason: Jealous Partner)**

 **Current Curse of K'wala Recipients: Kevin**

 **6th- Michael- The Depressed Stratbot**

 **7th- Arianna- The Toxic Ruthless**

 **8th- Addie- The Kleptomaniac**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**


	17. Ep14: So Close I Can Taste It

**The end is near… wow, that sounds ominous.**

 **Mistress Mysterious- Well, surprise!**

 **Michaelfang9- There were a few reasons that Spencer didn't make it in there. The biggest one of these, however, was that he didn't have any lasting rivalries with the final six. Maybe he was a little mad at Kevin for not including him in his alliance, but that's pretty much the extent of any grudges he could have held. We saw on Oord Island that he was pretty chill about it all.**

 **DinoKea- (My phone keeps correcting your username to Dimples for some reason) I figured that you, one of my more discerning readers, would see the elimination coming. I feel like since the last elimination was crazy, this one needed to be more toned down but I might have overdone it. I like how you're using the natural laws of fanfics to predict who's going home next, like gender balances and antagonist laws. You'll find out if you're right soon enough!**

 **Candela Monsoon (1)- Thanks! I'm hoping to hit 100 by the end of the story.**

 **Beastboycoolman15- Neat that you thought they'd all make it this far. I'm glad you liked the contestants' returns and the intern rivalry!**

 **Totaldramafan04- I'm happy you're loving this story! Of all my reviewers, yours are probably the ones I'm most excited to read since they're always full of compliments and I'm a sucker for flattery. I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Michael, as he was fun to write.**

 **Candela Monsoon (2)- Thanks! Believe me when I say, your other character will be coming back in due time. *Foreshadowing intensifies* And yep, that's the same Gabriel. CreeperGav sent him to me through PM. Kevin or Faith, huh? Well, you guessed two people so I'm thinking I'll give you half a shoutout if you're right. Maybe I'll take out all the vowels. IDK.**

 _ **Remember that other story I was advertising? Cancelled. If I ever try to start writing two at a time, hit me with a frying pan or something, I beg of you.**_

* * *

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _Our final six were varied in emotion after Arianna's blindside. Luke flaunted his victory, and continued to dominate the social aspect of the game by roping in Faith and making Ruby paranoid. Kevin and Ilyria didn't help matters by completely alienating their once friend. Michael was ready to go in for the kill by steamrolling Ilyria. Then, the final six were revisited by(read: handcuffed to) some old foes in a three-round challenge. Faith, worries about her friendship with Ruby, threw the challenge to grant her immunity. Come voting time, Luke worked his magic by convincing Ilyria to vote with Faith and him for Michael, leaving a stunned Kevin in their wake when the blindside succeeded._

 _But now, only five hopefuls remain! Who's million-dollar dream ends tonight on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 22_

* * *

 _ **Merged Players: Faith, Ilyria, Kevin, Luke, Ruby**_

The final five had returned from Verloor Island, where Michael had been eliminated hours earlier. No one said a word, each waiting for somebody else to initiate the conversation.

Finally, Kevin spoke. He picked up a stick off the ground.

"Luke," Kevin spoke. "Congratulations on a successful blindside. You managed to train both of whom I thought were my allies on to a different target than yourself, and seemingly give yourself some solid footing."

Luke looked confused. "Um… are you okay? This doesn't seem like you."

Kevin shrugged. "Hey, I can compliment a successful move. Even if it was performed by an absolute-"

"Yo, Kevin," Beck strolled into camp. "A jeep is waiting to take you on your reward."

Kevin spoke in deadpan. "Wonderful." He turned to Ilyria. "Go ahead and kick Fath out of the alliance. We're screwed anyway."

Ilyria nodded gravely as Faith looked aghast.

Kevin turned to Ruby. "Congrats on basically making it into the final three at this point." He began to walk away.

When he was gone, Ilyria faced Faith.

"You heard him," Ilyria shrugged. "You're out of the alliance. Permanently."

"What?" Faith replied, taking a step back. "You're actually listening to Kevin? He's not thinking straight! Besides, you voted for Michael too-"

Ilyria stepped forward menacingly. She glared at Faith. "Had I voted for Luke, we would have gone into a re-vote, which, had we all voted the same way as before, would not have been resolved. That would mean a tiebreaker, which, because Ruby had immunity, would be between you and Kevin. I did what I had to do to protect my allies."

Faith's panicked expression suddenly became dark.

"You know what, Ilyria?" Faith spat out. "I think that's horse {CENSORED} and you know it."

Ilyria looked surprised- it was the first time Faith had gotten genuinely angry.

"You voted for Michael because you thought it was the best thing for your own game. Now you're trying to justify it by saying it was for the alliance, even though you want to remove me from the alliance anyway!" Faith shouted. "I thought you and Kevin were supposed to be the good guys. But after Nikki and Addie went home all you've thought about is revenge, and you're covering it up by saying it's the right thing to do! You've become what you wanted to eliminate!"

Ilyria was shocked.

"For a secret agent who's all about doing good in the world, you sure aren't acting very good. Yeah, maybe Ruby 'betrayed' you after you forced her into an alliance. Maybe you can't trust Luke because his objectives don't line up with yours. But they, unlike you, are nice, honest people!" Faith finished.

It took a second for Ilyria to reply. "Well… you're protecting Ruby for personal reasons! You literally threw a challenge for her, and why- because she's your friend?"

"I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!" Faith screamed.

There was a beat.

"...There. I said it," Faith sighed. "I'm protecting Ruby because for the first time, I found a friend. Someone who accepts me for me. I don't want to lose that bond, even if it means I lose a million dollars first."

Ilyria shook her head and smirked cruelly. "You're not even playing the game. You just want friends. How can I respect that?"

"But-" Faith spluttered. "You literally came on the show to stop a crazy girl! How is that playing the game?"

Ilyria shook her head. "I wish you the best of luck in the game."

As she walked away, Faith called after her, "You're never going to win if you're just Kevin's right-hand man!"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"No, Faith is just being ridiculous. She must realize by this point how it's her fault that we don't want her in the alliance, not ours. But… I'm not the bad guy, right? I'm just doing what I have to in order to stay afloat, that's all." She says this unsurely.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

She sighs. "Surprise. I don't have friends. It's something I'm not proud to admit. It's just… with so many brothers and sisters to take care of, especially with my mom out of the picture, I don't get out much. I felt really selfish coming on here at all, and now… I just don't know."

* * *

Ruby was watching the conversation between Faith and Ilyria with curiosity.

"Hey, Ruby!" Luke chirped.

Ruby turned around to see him standing near her. She stepped back with fear. "Oh, hey, Luke."

Luke frowned. "That's not a very positive attitude to be having. Lighten up! We're in the top five. What's the matter?"

Ruby's worried expression turned into a half-glare. "You voted for Michael last night."

"Getting right to the point, aren't we," Luke's chipperness was replaced by a smug smirk. "Yes, you are correct. Unfortunately, I had to do what I had to do. Ilyria and Faith wanted to vote me out, and if I needed to throw an ally under the bus, well, I wasn't giving up a million dollars for loyalty."

Ruby considered this, but kept staring at Luke. "But then why didn't you vote with Michael and I for Ilyria? The other three had split their votes. We could've sent her home."

It was Luke's turn to consider this. "Well… ah… er…"

"I'm starting to think you didn't have the alliance's best interests at heart," Ruby added.

"What- No, of course I do!" Luke protested. "I just…Faith promised to join the alliance if we voted for Michael. Instead of having two allies in a three-three split, now we have a majority!"

"So you traded Michael for Faith," Ruby summarized.

Luke frowned. "You know, it sounds really bad when you put it like that. Is this not an ideal final three to have? You, me, and Faith?"

Ruby shook her head. "I thought you were part of my ideal final three, but honestly I'm uncertain now."

"Those are fighting words," Luke warned, half-jokingly, half-serious. "It'd be a shame if I took them seriously."

Ruby shook her head. "...Never mind. So we have Faith on our side? Who should we take out next?"

"Ilyria, _please,"_ Luke begged. "From what I recall, she's had votes against her in the past three conclaves. It's time to send her home, so she can't win immunity in the final four."

"All right, I'm fine with that," Ruby agreed. "If you want to change to Kevin, just inform me first. We don't want to split our votes at this stage."

"We sure don't," Luke agreed happily. As soon as Ruby left, he snarled.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"People keep telling me not to underestimate Luke. Up until tonight, I didn't think they were serious, but I think Luke might be a bigger threat than he lets on! He's got everyone at each other's' throats and… maybe I should… um…"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Oh dear. Little Ruby's starting to catch on to my ploy, isn't she? Whatever. I have Faith on my side, and wherever one goes, the other follows. By the time she _really_ wisens up, it'll be far too late to do anything about it."

* * *

Kevin emerged from a clearing with a sigh. He brightened when he saw what was before him- Nikki sitting at a table, upon which were several covered dishes.

"Niks!" Kevin smiled, getting her attention.

"Hi Kevin!" Nikki replied excitedly. "There's a seat there," she pointed to an empty chair. "Let's eat!"

""Yes!" Kevin agreed. "I'm starved. It was a doozy of an elimination, let me tell you."

They took the covers off of the dishes, revealing roast beef, Greek salad, scalloped potatoes, and rhubarb pie a la mode.

"What happened?" Nikki asked, scooping a heap of salad onto her plate. "You seem pretty happy about it."

Kevin shook his head. "Happy to see you, yes. But about the elimination? Not happy in the slightest. Faith, Ilyria, and I had a plan to vote for Ruby, but obviously she won immunity. So then we decided to vote for Luke."

"But they turned on each other?" Nikki inquired.

"Nope," Kevin cut himself a grand slice of pie. "Luke got to them. They decided to change their votes to Michael."

"And because you guys split your votes, the others held a majority?" Nikki finished.

"Still no," Kevin said grimly. "Luke actually ended up voting for Michael as well, so he ended up going home." He finished with a heavy sigh.

"So… what's the issue? Am I missing something here?" Nikki tilted her head to the side. "Because it seems like you guys have the majority now."

Kevin scoffed, "Not since we kicked Faith out of the alliance, we don't."

"What? Why?" Nikki was surprised.

"Faith was clearly working with the other alliance- or with Luke, at least. She was behind the elimination of Arianna as well."

Nikki shook her head and took a deep breath. "So you're telling me that Faith, part of your alliance, was responsible for eliminating Arianna and Michael, part of the other alliance, and you kicked her out because you wanted to eliminate different people than her?"

Kevin's fork stopped halfway to his mouth. "Ah- er- it isn't like that!"

Nikki leaned forward. "Kevin, I think you might have done something incredibly stupid."

"Don't call me stupid!" Kevin stood up. Nikki flinched. "No! This is not my fault! Not like it was with- with Lana!"

"Kevin, are you okay?" Nikki asked, suddenly concerned. "This isn't like you."

Kevin burst into tears. He curled up into a ball on the ground. "Oh, who am I kidding! This is my fault! It's all my fault!"

"Kevin, it's not your-"

"Maybe it was my stepfather who abused Lana. But I was the one to tell her to run! I encouraged her to go! And then… the bus came out of nowhere, and…"

Nikki gasped. "Oh, Kevin… I'm sorry…"

Kevin gave a heavy sigh. "And now I'm completely dead in the game, just like my foster sister is in real life. It's kind of poetic. I might as well give up now."

Nikki said nothing for a while. Finally she spoke up. "Kevin, I refuse to let you think like that."

"What?" Kevin asked.

Nikki looked at him straight in the eye. "You're one of the strongest people I know. You've gone through too much when the end is close. _Think._ Out of Faith, Ruby, and Luke, who could you convince to vote with you?"

"Not Faith," Kevin sniffed. Then he brightened. "But Ruby and Michael were really tight. I bet Ruby's angry at Luke right now! Maybe I could make a truce with her to take out Luke."

"There we go," Nikki smiled. "See? That wasn't so difficult."

Kevin stood up. "It wasn't. But I'm glad I had you here so I could get that off of my chest. Can you keep it a secret?"

"To my grave," Nikki assured him. "Now, let's eat before the bugs get at all of our food."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Nikki's right. The end is so close I can taste it. There's no way I can give up now, especially with a million dollars at stake. I _will_ win this game."

* * *

 _Day 23_

* * *

Ruby was sitting beside the chicken coop which had been won back when the teams merged.

"Hey, little guys," she cooed. "I'm going to need some eggs, all right? Is that okay with you?"

The chickens obviously said nothing in return.

"I'll take that as a _yes_ ," Ruby leaned over and plucked some eggs nestled in a corner. "Don't worry. We'll be gone soon, and you can go back to doing... whatever chickens normally do."

Once again, the chickens said nothing. Ruby stood up with eggs in hand.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed as she spotted Faith. "Faith!"

Faith grudgingly walked over. She gave a dry smile. "So I guess you heard my little… outburst last night."

Ruby nodded. "Faith, I want you to know that no matter what happens, _nothing_ is going to ruin our friendship. Even if you voted me out, I'd respect it as a game move."

Faith chuckled in spite of herself. "Look at you, reassuring me. It's the opposite of our first few days here. Remember that? You were so shy…"

Ruby dropped her voice down a little. "I'm not going to lie, I might have overdid it a little. But you're right. This game has given me a lot of things that I wouldn't have dreamed of when I first came here."

The two girls were silent for a while.

"Well, I'm pretty excited," Faith said. "I'm finally in a solid, stable, respectful majority alliance! You, Luke and I aren't going anywhere anytime soon!"

Ruby frowned at Luke's name. "Faith… do you really think we can trust Luke?"

Faith instantly nodded. "Yes, I think so. He's been nothing but nice to me. I mean, he's kind of slippery, but look at what options he has to align with. We're still his best shot of making it into the final 3."

"But what if he sticks with us for this vote and decides to ditch us for the next one?" Ruby worried. "He'd have the power."

Faith shrugged. "I guess it comes down to trust. And personally, I trust Luke more than anyone else- except for you," she added.

Ruby sighed. "I just feel like we're all underestimating him."

"We very well could be, but I don't think so," Faith shrugged. "It's a gut feeling."

"All right, I'll drop it for now," Ruby amended. "I don't know if Luke told you, but the plan is to vote out Ilyria."

"Cool," Faith shrugged. "I don't have a personal preference, but I'll vote for Ilyria if you want."

"All right," Ruby said. "Let's cook some eggs."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Oh, I'm _so_ relieved that Ruby doesn't think I'm a weirdo or anything like that. I'm ready to play a strategic game right into the finale."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I don't want to sound like a terrible person, but… does Faith only trust Luke because she wants him as a friend? It sounds really bad, but could Luke just be manipulating her? Or is he really being genuine? I just don't know."

* * *

Kevin was sitting alone, unsurprisingly, on a stump. He was writing something in his notebook.

"What'cha got there?" Luke popped up behind him.

"LUKE!" Kevin shouted in surprise. "STOP DOING THAT!"

Luke sniffed. "I repeat my question."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "I guess lying to you confers me no benefit to lie. I was talking with some of the others about their teammates, and I wrote out a chart to keep track of everyone and their teams, as well as any votes against them."

"What are your findings?" Luke asked.

"Private," Kevin snapped. "I don't see how it would, but I don't want to give you any advantages this late in the game."

"Smart," Luke smiled. " _So_ …." He stretched out the word. "Um… how's Lana doing?"

"What do you want?" Kevin replied.

"Hey, what's wrong with chatting with my old teammate and rival Kevin?" Luke asked defensively. "I was also wondering how open you'd be to turning on Ilyria."

"I have to consider every option," Kevin responded. "If it actually benefited me, and I wasn't making a big move for the sake of making a big move, then I'd have no choice but to vote for her. Why? Are you suggesting a partnership?"

"Am I?" Luke mused. "I don't think so, although subliminally there could be the off chance."

"Wow. Great answer," Kevin snarked. "Conversely, if the opportunity presented itself, would you turn on Ruby or Faith?"

Luke quickly glanced around to make sure no one's watching. He then grabbed Kevin's hand and yanked him close.

"Of course I would," he hissed. "But not for you. Those idiots are my ticket into the finale. And frankly, there's nothing you or your little sidekick can do about it."

Kevin wasn't fazed. "So now I'm going to blab to Faith about this little interaction."

"And she won't believe you, and it'll sow distrust," Luke scoffed. "Believe me, I know about sowing distrust. Your little chance of making it through will be reduced to nothing."

"You don't scare me," Kevin insisted. "You're just a whiny little mama's boy who caught a lucky break on day one."

"Conversely," Luke said in a nerdy voice, mocking Kevin. "You don't know when to shut up and accept that you need me. You _will_ vote for Ilyria."

He strode off pompously.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

He groans. "Ugh, acting that douchenozzle-y is exhausting. I just needed to see if I could push Kevin to the breaking point. Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious that there's a _zero_ percent chance that Kevin will ever comply with me, so I'm thinking I rearrange my little elimination order and move Kevin right to the top. Yeah, it means bringing Ruby into the final 3 with me, but I can probably beat her."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"It appears I was right all along when I said that Luke was bad news. His fatal mistake, however, will be letting me get to Ruby. She'll want to vote him out, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Ilyria was tending to the fire in the middle of camp. She sharply looked up when she heard a branch crack, to see Ruby standing with eggs in hand.

"I was just-" Ruby started to say as Ilyria said, "What are you-"

They both gave an awkward laugh at speaking at the same time, though they never took their eyes off of each other.

"I-" Ruby quickly stopped talking to make sure Ilyria wouldn't start again. "-was just planning on scrambling some eggs for breakfast. Want any?"

Ilyria reached for the pan- an amenity which had come pre-stocked in the camp- and handed it over. "Um… no thanks. I'm not a huge fan of eggs."

"Oh?" Ruby inquired, beginning to break the eggs into the pan. She cracked one too forcefully and was forced to fish some shell out. "How come?"

Ilyria shrugged. "I don't like the texture or the taste. I'm more of a baked beans type of girl."

"For breakfast?" Ruby shouted, a bit too loudly. She awkwardly put her head down. "Is that a British thing?"

"Yeah," Ilyria confirmed. Ruby put the pan over the open flame. "So…"

"So…" Ruby repeated. "...Do you like any music?"

Ilyria nodded. "I'm a fan of the classics. Beatles, Rolling Stones, all that. You?"

Ruby shrugged. "I prefer modern country music. I have a thousand Luke Bryan posters in my bedroom."

"Oh, does someone have a little crush?" Ilyria joked with a small smile.

"I'm a lesbian," Ruby stated flatly.

"Oh. Right," Ilyria mumbled. "Sorry."

They were silent for a while.

"I think the eggs are done," Ilyria eventually pointed out. "They look good, even if I'd never eat them."

"Thanks… I think…" Ruby replied. "Well, I guess I'll see if anyone else wants these."

"Sounds good," Ilyria nodded. "Um… see you around, I guess."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"First of all, who the hell is Luke Bryan? Needless to say, that was the most awkward conversation I've had for a long time. It's difficult when the person you want gone the most, and probably wants you gone the most, is such a nice girl. But that's the game."

* * *

 _Night 23_

* * *

"Dun dun dun dun," Luke sang his 'spy song' as he walked through the forest. "Dun dun dooby dooby DUN DUN DUN- Oh, hey, Faith."

"Luke!" Faith smiled. "Just the person I wanted to see. Ruby told me the vote was for Ilyria, but I wanted to be sure. You can never be too careful, after all."

"Indeed, you cannot," Luke agreed. "It's a good thing you came here, because I think we should change our vote to Kevin."

Faith's eyes widened. "Kevin? Not that I'm opposed, but why?"

Luke shrugged. "I was… doing some thinking… and I realized how inflexible Kevin is. He's never going to waver from a set course of action. Throw in the fact that he's smart as all get-out, and I think there's a case to be made."

Faith pondered this. "But what if we vote Kevin out and Ilyria wins immunity?"

"What is we vote Ilyria out and Kevin wins immunity?" Luke countered politely. "Don't forget, he's done it before."

"True… I guess we'd be risking it either way. But I don't think intelligence can get him into the finale as long as we stick together," Faith argued.

Luke sighed. "Faith… I hate to say it, but do you think there's a possibility that you just want to keep Kevin in because he has a crush on you?"

"What? No!" Faith protested. "I just- um-"

"It's just a game, remember," Luke reminded her. "Not to mention, he'd vote you out with no hesitation if he had to."

"I know," Faith said. "But-"

"No buts," Luke interrupted. At Faith's frown, he added, "Faith, I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?"

Faith waited a moment before saying, "Yes, I trust you."

"Then please, _please_ do this for me. I know it's difficult but I think it can benefit our game in the long run," Luke pleaded.

"...All right," Faith reluctantly said. "I'll vote for Kevin if he doesn't win immunity."

"You won't regret it," Luke smiled. "It looks like it's the final three for us! And I know that if I had the choice, final two as well," he winked.

"You mean that?" Faith wondered aloud.

"If it were me and Ruby in a challenge, well, I'd bet on Ruby," Luke figured. "Same for if it were you or Ruby. She'd totally have the upper hand. So I wouldn't go against her."

"Huh…" Faith said. "She _is_ good in challenges…"

"Well, I'll see you around," Luke sprang off. "Dun dun dun dun, dun dun dooby dooby DUN DUN DUN!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"I am a genius, with a capital GENIUS!" Luke smirks. "Not only have I guilted her into voting the way I wanted, I think I may have made a good enough cause for her to bring me into the final two if she wins immunity."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Is Luke right? Am I really just trying to keep Kevin around because he has a crush on me? But I don't even know if I like him! God… why did this have to happen now?"

* * *

" _The gentle breeze, the swaying trees, the deep blue seas, and me,_ " Kevin read a line from his notebook. "Hey, that's actually not half bad."

"Better than what I'd have come up with," Ruby said as she approached him. "I'd probably write something stupid that didn't even relate, like…" she stood upon a stump and raised her arm. " _Stinky cheese, Mandarin Chinese, cardiovascular disease, and me."_

Kevin chuckled in spite of himself. "All right, you got me to laugh." He suddenly put on a stoic face. "What do you want?"

"It's all strategy with you, huh," Ruby shrugged.

"Are you telling me you came here for something other than strategy?" Kevin asked.

"No," Ruby admitted. "But I was also wondering how you were doing."

"Motivated," Kevin replied. "In fact, motivated to make a deal."

"With me?" Ruby was flummoxed. "I'm interested, I won't lie."

"You'll like this one," Kevin promised. "You, me, and Ilyria vote out Luke. He's betrayed pretty much everyone left, not to mention Michael, Arianna, and the list goes on."

Ruby betrayed no emotion. "What's in it for me?"

"You don't have to face off against Luke in the finale," Kevin said. "We all know, for all his zaniness, how difficult he is to face off against."

"I can't refute that," Ruby agreed. "But how do I know this isn't a trick? I mean, you and Ilyria have wanted me eliminated since Addie went home."

"I'd like to think I have more honour than that," Kevin sniffed.

"I'd like to think that too, but in a game like Total Drama, there's no way to be certain," Ruby replied. "Once Luke's eliminated, we're back to a split. That doesn't help anyone. How would you propose to solve that?"

Kevin resigned himself. "After Luke is eliminated…. I promise that I'll vote for Ilyria if she doesn't win immunity."

Ruby looked surprised with this new information.

"I'd be willing to ditch her if it meant I could go into the finale," Kevin sighed. "It wouldn't make me happy, but I'd do it."

"Replacing you for Luke…" Ruby said. Under her breath, she added, "After Luke replaced Michael."

"What was that last part?" Kevin asked.

"Nothing," Ruby said quickly. "If, and only if we get Luke out this round, I accept your offer."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Kevin smirked as they shook hands.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Look, I'm only doing what I need to do. Nikki was right- Ruby really _does_ want Luke out of here. I'm happy to help, even if it means betraying my only real ally left in the game. Hey, I never claimed to be nice."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"This could be a break for me and… Faith… oh no. Faith is going to be ticked off when Luke goes home! Oh… but we promised that nothing would ruin our friendship. It's a strategic move. That's all."

* * *

A moment after Ruby left, Ilyria entered the area and spotted Kevin.

"Finally," she said, relieved. "I realized we haven't decided who the target is. Ruby, like usual, right?"

"Actually," Kevin replied, snapping his notebook shut, "Someone approached me with a very interesting deal."

"Oh?" Ilyria asked. "So who are we voting for?"

Kevin smirked. "Luke, if possible. Our temporary ally has agreed to vote out Luke if he doesn't win immunity."

"Who specifically is this temporary ally?" Ilyria inquired.

"Um…" Kevin paused. "R- Faith. She apologized and would be willing to go to the final 3 with us."

"Even though she knows that we'd pick each other in a heartbeat, given the opportunity?" Ilyria asked. "That seems a little poorly thought out."

"She must be banking on a straight-up competition in the finals," Kevin rationed. "It's happened before, and it could happen again."

"Interesting," Ilyria stroked her chin. "I thought we'd have to beg and grovel, but this is a nice development."

"We should be wary, of course," Kevin added. "If it's just a trick, I mean. It's not like Faith hasn't been deceitful before. We're still both going to go all-out for immunity."

Ilyria sighed. "If iit is a trick, whichever one of us doesn't win immunity will go home. I hate being in this position. Faith holds so much power right now."

"She does," Kevin lied. "But this is our chance. We'll make the most out of it, that's for sure."

"Well," Ilyria reached out for a handshake. "Good luck to you."

"The same," Kevin replied, shaking her hand.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Faith hasn't been able to choose a side. Considering we ditched her, I'm surprised she came crawling back. Not that I'm complaining."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"...Alright, I lied. Truthfully, if I told Ilyria that Ruby was the one who I presented the offer to, there'd be no way she's accept. Faith seeking me out seems more believable. Besides, the end result is the same- Luke goes home no matter what, and Ilyria right after. Guilty or not."

* * *

 _Day 24_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: K'wala Caves**_

Beck sighed as he walked a girl into the caves.

"It pains me to do this," he shook his head. "You're literally the only choice I have left."

"Love you too, bro," the girl replied. "I'll be a better intern than you ever were."

"Sure," Beck rolled his eyes. "Samantha, if you get me fired, I swear I'll get mom to ground you for the rest of your pre-college life."

"Whatever," Samantha shrugged. "Butthead."

"Ah! The new intern!" Chris smiled. "Who do I have the pleasure of meeting today?"

"This is-" Beck began, before being interrupted.

"Samantha Harris," Samatha shook his hand. "I hope I'll be able to fulfill my duty well."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Chris agreed.

Beck added, "You'd better. Samantha here is the last intern who's willing to work with you."

"Aside from Becky, of course," Samatha said, giving Beck an obnoxious smile.

"Becky?" Chris looked at Beck. "Are you two-"

"Siblings. Twins, in fact," Samantha interrupted yet again. "I'm older, in case you were wondering. By three minutes and twelve seconds."

"You told me you were an only child," Chris muttered to Beck.

"I wish I was," Beck replied. "She only was hired after one guy got food poisoning."

Chris turned to Samantha. "Well! Sibling or not, I'm sure you're competent enough to help. Here's what I need you to do."

He relayed some instructions and Samantha walked off promptly. Minutes later, the final five contestants strode in.

"Hello, top five!" Chris introduced. "Are you ready to get to today's challenge?"

"Yeah!" Shouted Luke, while everyone else was slightly less excited.

"You'll only have half an hour for this challenge," Chris explained, "Each of you will be assigned a pathway in the cave. We have," if the cave were a clock, he'd be pointing at 12 o'clock, "The Uncomfortably Thorny Bush Path," he pointed at 2 o'clock, "The Slippery Watery Ice Path," he pointed at 4 o'clock, "The Meltingly Annoying Laser Path," he pointed at 8 o'clock, "The Unstably Crevicey Ground Path, and finally," he pointed at 10 o'clock, "The Extremely Simple Boring Path."

The contestants marvelled at each of the paths, while wondering what they needed to do.

"At the end of each of these paths is a tool or tools that will help you with part two of the challenge, which is- Samantha!"

Samantha appeared, carrying five identically shaped mannequin heads.

"...beautifying your mannequin's face!" Chris finished.

Suddenly, everyone was confused.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"...A _beautification_ challenge? What's gotten into Chris lately?"

* * *

Confessional: Chris

The host chuckles. "Heh heh… so apparently the challenges this season have been too 'realistic' and 'Survivor-styled'. The producers' words, not mine. Anyway, to avoid a lawsuit, we had to do this."

* * *

"After your time is up, the contestant with the best made-up head will win immunity!"

"Neat," Faith said simply.

"This challenge comes with a special reward," Beck began, calling attention to the envelope in his hand. "Coming up soon, there will be a… special twist in either a challenge, a vote, or both. Whoever wins immunity will also learn of what this twist is, so they can prepare for it."

"Believe me when I say," Chris added, "This could make or break your game."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"Information this late in the game is a game-changer. You'd better believe I'm doing my best to win."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"If there was every a challenge to try hard in," Ilyria flexes her muscles, "It's this one. The big guns are out now, and I'm ready to… uh… shoot one."

* * *

"Now, as the previous immunity winner, Ruby has the right to distribute the Curse of K'wala," Beck said. "This time, you can assign a path to every player, including yourself."

"Wow," Ruby was impressed. "Well, I'm definitely taking the Extremely Simple Boring Path."

"Ooh!" Luke put up his hand. "Can I take the one with the lasers?"

"Yeah, all right," Ruby agreed.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Can you really blame me for taking the easy path? I want to win. I hope the other's aren't too mad at me… I guess they'd do the same if they were in my shoes."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"It's one of those natural laws- the hardest option has the highest reward. If I can make it through the path in time, it's smooth sailing for Papa Lukey."

* * *

"Luke gets the Meltingly Annoying Laser Path," Ruby repeated. Luke looked pleased.

"Faith gets the Slippery Watery Ice Path," Ruby said next. Faith was satisfied.

"Ilyria gets the Uncomfortably Thorny Bush Path," Ruby decided. Ilyria grumbled under her breath.

"And that leaves Kevin with the Unstably Crevicey Ground Path," Chris finished. "Everyone get into positions!"

After a brief timeskip, each player was standing in front of his or her cave path, determined to win the challenge.

"For immunity and a reward, is everyone ready?" Chris shouted, his voice echoing in the cave.

…

…

…

…

…

"Go!" Samantha and Beck shouted together. Samantha gave Beck a small shove and he stumbled forward.

Ruby ran down her path of the cave, which, as its title implied, had no traps or sabotages of any kind.

"Glad… I… picked… this… one!..." she said through hurried breath as she sprinted. As the path slanted downward, she momentarily lost her footing but recovered and ran even faster.

Soon enough, she was at the end of her path. Upon a pedestal, there was a locked chest, a key ring with several keys, and a mannequin head.

"So I have to open it myself, huh?" Ruby asked. "All right. Let's do this."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"This is my challenge! I'm feeling really good. It lays to my strengths- art and running. Here's hoping I can do it!"

* * *

The other contestants were having more difficult times, especially Luke.

Luke was singing his spy song under his breath. It came to an abrupt halt, however, as he came across a field of lasers.

"What happens if I…" Luke reached out and touched a laser. He recoiled his hand quickly with a yelp. "All right, not touching lasers."

He got down on his belly. "Well, it looks like a pretty straight shot down here, but it's going to take me awhile. I hope it's worth it."

He started to crawl forward. "This is going to suck…"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"It's a risk, but I know it'll pay off when I have the best tools for applying makeup in the challenge."

* * *

Kevin was merely walking down his path until he reached the obstacle- a gap in the floor which could only be crossed by walking across stalagmite-esque platforms.

"Hold on," Kevin frowned. "Why would there be stalagmites here? It's a dry cave, plus there are torches everywhere. Stalagmites are only formed-"

He shook his head. "Challenge first, scientific errors later."

"Urgh…" He grunted as he precariously stepped onto the first platform, which wobbled under his feet.

"Thanks a lot, Ruby," he muttered. "If you weren't helping me get rid of Luke I'd hate you right now."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Hey, just because I'm working with someone doesn't mean I have to like said someone… especially when said someone made me cross an illogically high gap."

* * *

Ilyria groaned as she saw the thorny bushes approaching fast.

"Of course," she grumbled. "Give the thorns to the girl who doesn't like pain. Perfect sense."

She dove headfirst into the bushes. With a few shouts of pain, she forged onward.

"Why would there even be bushes growing in a cave?" Ilyria muttered. "It's stupid."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

She has several scrapes along her arms and face. "I hate this challenge."

* * *

"Slippery ice, huh?" Faith said to herself as she merely walked across her path, which was frozen over and covered in a thin layer of water.

"It doesn't seem that slippery to me," she said. "As long as I go slow, there's no problem."

She yawned. "Hm… I'm a little sleepy. Maybe I'll go to bed early after the elimination ceremony."

Soon enough, she was at the other side. Like Ruby's platform, there was a locked chest and a key ring beside the mannequin head. However, Faith's ring only had one key on it.

"Awesome," Faith said, looking at the key. "Let's see what I have."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I feel like I'm doing well in this challenge, but you never know- one move could turn the whole game on its head."

* * *

"And Faith is the first person to open her chest!" Beck said.

Samantha bristled. "We know that, Butthead. We're literally right here."

"It's for the viewers at home," Beck replied defensively.

"What, because they don't have eyes?" Samantha scoffed.

"Gotta love a good old-fashioned sibling rivalry," Chris smiled appreciatively. "Reminds me of… well, another time."

"Let's go back to see what Faith got!" Beck called out.

"No duh," Samantha stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

Confessional: Beck

"This is your fault, mom! Why did you have to ship her to New Zealand? Why?"

* * *

Faith opened up her chest. "What do I have to work with?"

She pulled out a box of crayons. "Wait, really?"

Faith held the box up to her eyes and read the label. " _McLean Brand Makeup Crayons_. Makeup crayons?"

She took one out of the package and started drawing on her hand. It showed up as a liquidy film.

"Here goes nothing, I guess," Fait started drawing on the mannequin's face.

"And Ruby is the next to finish!" She heard Beck call.

"I should hurry," Faith started to draw faster.

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I've never used makeup crayons before. There's a first time for everything, I guess."

* * *

Ruby was satisfied with having opened her chest… until she saw what it contained.

" _McLean Brand Canned Seven Layer Dip._ Seriously?" Ruby scoffed in disbelief.

She opened the can with the provided can opener and dumped it onto the platform. All seven layers of the dip had melded into one goopy brownish mess.

"That is _so_ gross," Ruby gagged. Then she had an idea. "Wait… I can work with this!"

She scooped up the dip with her hands and slathered it on the mannequin.

"Everyone had better pick up the pace," Beck announced.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I've done some nasty things… but that one takes the cake. I'll never look at seven layer dip the same way again."

* * *

Luke was nearly through the laser field. However, his luck had come to a close.

"Can't go forward…" His path was blocked.

"Can't stand up…" He looked up to see a laser directly above him.

Luke grinned. "FOR WISCONSIN!"

He started to run through the laser field with little regard for his own safety. "Dun dun- Ow!- dun -Agh!- dun, dun -Sweet mother of pearl!- dun dooby dooby-"

And like that, he was across, though his clothes were in tatters and he had burn marks along his body.

"Pain is temporary!" He reminded himself. "The real reward," he opened his chest, "is…"

His mouth dropped in shock. "A _McLean Brand Paint Roller?_ "

Indeed, inside his chest was a paint roller and several miniature cans of paint.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"What a rush! I'd do that any day of the week!" He looks down at his torn clothing. "Well, maybe if I had more durable clothing."

* * *

Kevin was slowly crossing the pit.

"What a poorly thought out challenge," he said, not paying attention to where his feet were. "I could do something better in my-"

He stopped talking, because what he thought was a solid platform began to crumble under his feet. He listed sideways into the abyss below. "SLEEEEEeeeeepppp…!"

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

Not a single word Kevin says is uncensored.

* * *

Ilyria slowly made her way through the bush, grumbling and groaning as she went.

"This sucks. This sucks, sucks, sucks," Ilyria says to herself. "Calm down, Ilyria. Just because it's a tight space and it's dark and it's painful, doesn't mean you need to freak out."

She wasn't convincing herself.

"Come on…" Finally, Ilyria emerged. She saw the chest and gratefully opened it.

"I need some luck right now," she said as she pulled out some…

" _McLean Brand Instant Frozen Raspberries,"_ Ilyria read.

She stared at the camera. "You really must love making me suffer, huh."

* * *

Confessional: Chris

"Of course I do! Heh heh…"

* * *

"...And that's time!" Beck said. "Everyone drop what you're doing and return back here, so we can judge!"

After another timeskip, the five contestants each stood in front of their mannequin heads.

"What happened to you?" Ilyria asked Kevin.

Kevin was sporting several bandages and his glasses were barely hanging on his face. "Don't ask."

"All right, final five!" Chris said. "We'll come around and see each of your designs. Starting with… Faith!"

Faith proudly brought her mannequin head up to the front. "This is a mature-meets-playful look I made with red and purple makeup crayons. It draws attention to the eyes and lips especially."

"Indeed it does," Beck said.

"Nice colour choice!" Chris complimented.

"Yep," Samantha said simply.

"Next up we have Ilyria!" Chris announced. "What do you have in store for us?"

Ilyria approached with her decorated head. "This highlights nature's finest elements by using a monochrome- hell, I ran out of time. It's red lips and blush."

"Very good idea, but is it enough?" Beck asked.

"Interesting style" Chris said.

"Decent," Samantha stated.

"Kevin's our next hopeful!" Chris said. "Bring 'er on up."

Kevin sighed and brought up his head. "Here you go. Because you endangered my life by excavating the floor of a cave, I didn't have enough time to decorate it. Thanks," he said sarcastically.

"Next!" Chris didn't even wait for the others' reactions. "Luke!"

Luke sauntered up with his head. "This beautiful model styles a smoky, yet intriguing look achieved by the blending of dark and bright colours. Perfect for a moonlit ball."

"I rather enjoy it," Beck admitted.

"Mysterious," Chris added.

"Meh, it's alright," Samantha shrugged.

"And finally," Chris said, "Ruby! What have you done?"

Ruby moved to the center of the room. "This lovely lady uses one colour in a variety of different ways, on all parts of her face. It's complex yet leads back to one central idea."

"The colour is… ah…" Beck looked at the brown slop on her face. "Chris?"

"Um… I…" Chris shook his head. "Samantha?"

"Dude, it sucks," Samantha cackled.

"And that's that!" Chris said, relieved. "Wait a moment while our judges discuss."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not winning immunity today. I don't believe I need it, but it's a disappointment nonetheless."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"You know what? _You_ try making a look out of canned seven-layer dip!"

* * *

"I think it should be that one," Beck pointed to a mannequin.

"Stupid as always, Becky," Samantha snipped. "Obviously it should be that one over there."

"Are you blind or just stupid? It should be that one!" Beck shouted.

"No, that one!" Samantha argued.

"That one!"

"That one!"

"That one!"

Samantha finally had enough. "You know what? Here's what I say to your pick!"

She picked up Beck's preferred mannequin and through it into the pit in which Kevin had fallen.

Beck gasped. "Well, I'll show you!" He picked up a head of his own and hurled it at his sister. It shattered when it hit the wall.

"Idiot! You could've killed me!" Samantha tackled Beck, and soon the two were rolling on the ground, tearing at each other.

They rolled into the central platform, which sent the final three mannequin heads tumbling. Two of them shattered upon impact while the third heavily cracked.

"Hey!" Chris pulled them apart, and the siblings instantly calmed down and looked around.

Beck gulped. "Oops…"

Only one head had survived, which Chris cradled in his arms.

Chris pointed at Samantha. "You're toast! Get out of here!"

"Ha!" Beck exclaimed triumphantly. He paled when Chris faced him.

"And until you work this out with your sister, you're on permanent suspension, buddy," Chris said, intimidating Beck despite being taller than him. "You get out too."

"Are you kidding me?" Beck clenched his fists. "Samantha, you pest!"

The two exited, arguing the entire time.

"Let's get back to the challenge," Chris sighed. "Clearly, since we only have one head that's mostly intact, our winner is obvious."

Ilyria gasped. "You don't mean…"

"I do!" Chris replied. "Congratulations on winning immunity…"

…

…

…

…

…

"...Luke!"

"All right!" Luke cheered, though the others were considerably less excited.

"As your reward," Chris explained, "You get this- an envelope with vital information pertaining to an upcoming twist in the game. Not to mention, you're safe for another day."

Luke eagerly accepted the envelope.

Chris looked at the others. "It looks like I'll be seeing you tonight, where one of you will not make the final four. It won't be Luke."

They trudged off.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Not good, not good… the crux of Kevin's whole plan was being able to vote off Luke! I don't know what to do next."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

Ruby frets. "Uh oh… the alliance wants to vote out Kevin, but he might still be necessary for Faith and I. What do I do?

* * *

Confessional: Luke

Luke grins. "Let's see what I'm about to learn!"

He opens up the envelope, but his expression changes to shock the moment he does. "Oh…!"

He gives the camera a stony-faced look. "This changes everything. And believe me when I say that's no exaggeration."

* * *

 _Night 24_

* * *

 _ **Verloor Island Conclave (Immunity: Luke)**_

Chris was talking on the phone with someone.

"Wait, what do you mean we're out of interns? I thought Beck was just being dramatic!"

He listened.

"So who am I supposed to get to help me?"

He listened.

"All right. But I'm not going to like it," Chris sighed. He turned off his phone and faced the competitors. "Now, where were we?"

"You were about to begin the ceremony but got a phone call and we've been sitting here for half an hour," Kevin supplied as the final five sat on the bench.

"Ah. Right," Chris nodded. "Ah… I'm not good with this format. Can we just skip the questions part? Do any of you miss it?"

"Nope," said Luke.

"Not really," said Faith.

"Not in the slightest," said Kevin.

"Same here," said Ruby.

"No," said Ilyria.

"All right, then cast your votes. Same order as always," Chris supplied.

Faith, being first alphabetically, cast her vote first.

"Sorry, Kevin," she said as she held Kevin's name up to the screen. "Luke wants me to trust him, and that means you have to leave."

Ilyria was next. "Obviously, if Faith is interested in working with us and Luke's immune, there's only one choice. I vote for Ruby."

Kevin was next. "My options are very limited. However, on the condition that Ruby's deal could still be intact due to Luke winning immunity, I have to vote for Faith."

Luke was next. Surprisingly, he was silent.

Ruby was last. "Because Luke won immunity, I expect Kevin to vote for Ilyria to keep up our deal. I'll do the same."

Once Ruby returned, Chris surveyed the campers. "I'll get the votes."

When he came back, holding the votes, he was smiling.

"Obviously, you guys aren't as cohesive as you think," he smirked. "I'll read the votes."

He paused, before reading the first vote.

"Ilyria," he finally said.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I'm not surprised, but to lose now would be dissatisfying."

* * *

He read the next vote. "Faith."

* * *

Confessional: Faith

"I've worked too hard for my dream to end here."

* * *

He read the third vote. "Ruby."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"No… I have to win this. For Michael. And for me, a little."

* * *

He read the fourth vote. "Kevin."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

Kevin shakes his head. "No… have I made a mistake?"

* * *

At the center of it all sat Luke, for once betraying no emotion.

Chris slowly unfolded the last vote. "The fourteenth person voted out of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"...Faith," Chris finally said, showing everyone the last vote.

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait, what? But I voted for… and Kevin… _what?_ "

"Why didn't you vote for Ruby?" Ilyria scolded Kevin.

Kevin turned to Luke. "Who did you vote for, then? It makes no sense!"

Luke visibly switched into 'actor' mode. He looked at Ruby. "Do you know what just happened?"

Faith shook her head in disbelief. Slowly, she stood.

She sighed. "I have no idea what just happened… but whoever you are, I hope you're happy with yourself."

"Faith, you've finished the game in fifth place," Chris said. "The exit is that way."

Faith walked away with her head hung.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

The light has gone out of Luke's eyes. He reads from the envelope which he received. " _Congratulations on winning immunity. Your reward is vital information. Your next challenge will be a reunion, followed by a tag-team race with a loved one. The winner of this race will be able to bring one other person into the final three, leaving the remaining two to fight for the finale in an epic Total Drama-styled tiebreaker."_

He looks at the camera. "My mother is coming to the island. And if Faith were still here… everything would be ruined."

* * *

Chris faced the camera. "Well, with that shocking turn of events, everyone who _could_ receive votes, received votes, and Luke sent his closest ally packing."

He looked at the camera. "Will anyone piece together the truth? Will anyone trust anyone after this? And will I finally get some decent help? All that and more on…."

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"The Curse of K'wala!"

After Chris had said this, he turned on his phone again and dialed a number. "Hello, Logan? Guess who's getting their job back!"

* * *

Final Confessional: Faith- 5th Place

"I'm no dummy. I know Luke betrayed me to get ahead. It sickens me that I ever trusted him." She sighs. "It was a million-dollar mistake, I guess. Hopefully Ruby will stick around, because she's the only genuine person left in this game."

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _Faith voted for… Kevin_

 _Ilyria voted for… Ruby_

 _Kevin voted for… Faith_

 _Luke voted for… Faith_

 _Ruby voted for… Ilyria_

* * *

 **First of all, shoutouts to DinoKea and Cndl Mnsn, who each predicted that Faith would be going home. Same rules as always; if you predict who goes home you get a shoutout. Keep in mind that the next episode is the last before the finale!**

 **So… Faith. Faith will always be, in my eyes, a placeholder character. Sure, she served her purpose, but of all the characters in the final five, she had the least to offer personality-wise. That's pretty much all I have to say about that. Her elimination definitely raises some questions, though, pertaining to Luke's family. Plus, a rift is forming between Kevin and Ilyria! Good stuff.**

 **Samantha debuted as the last intern! Now, originally Beastboycoolman15 submitted her to me a little differently, but her personality was so similar to Irish's that I had to change it up a little. So a surprise sibling rivalry was in order, and it helped make the challenge and consequential vote all the more interesting. Though truthfully, had that debacle not happened, Luke still would have won the challenge. It's a personal headcanon thing.**

 **Another crazy vote went down. This one wasn't even planned- it was originally going to be a 3-2 split between Faith and Kevin, but evolved into… this.**

 **Lana was also revealed! And with a family challenge coming up, well… it should be good.**

* * *

 **Fired Interns:**

 **Kayla (Day 16; Reason: Psychopath)**

 **Mitzi (Day 18; Reason: Played With Fire)**

 **Irish (Day 20; Reason: Mean But Technically True)**

 **Gabriel (Day 22; Reason: Jealous Partner)**

 **Samantha (Day 24; Reason: It's A Sibling Thing)**

* * *

 **5th- Faith- The Friend-Seeking Strategist**

 **6th- Michael- The Depressed Stratbot**

 **7th- Arianna- The Toxic Ruthless**

 **8th- Addie- The Kleptomaniac**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**


	18. Ep15: Family Tie (Breaker)

**Fortunate Son is the best Creedence Clearwater Revival Song. Fight me.**

 **Mistress Mysterious- Indeed it is! Just so you know, I'm probably not doing a reunion show; it just didn't fit with the rest of the story.**

 **GirlPower54- I'm glad you're glad that Kevin has made it this far! Interesting prediction, albeit with shady reasoning, and I hope you like the episode!**

 **Michaelfang9- I don't think a lot of people were expecting Faith to win, so you're not alone there. Interesting prediction- I will say that a lot of people expect Ilyria to go home next. And we already sorted out the other thing.**

 **DinoKea aka Dimples- A well thought out prediction as always. I have to say, I enjoy reading your speculation and thought process for designing these. Are you correct? We'll see…**

 **Totaldramafan04- Thanks for the review, and it's all good :)**

 **Beastboycoolman15- There's not much I can say except you're about to find out!**

 **Candela Monsoon aka Cndl Mnsn- Haha… I totally knew you were cheering for Faith… *erases 'Kevin' off a whiteboard and writes 'Faith' beside your username*. Team Ruby, eh? Interesting. Your prediction is noted, and the foreshadowing intensifies further. 237 words, excluding XD, :(, and PS.**

 **Obikinoah aka Obi Wan Kenobi- Good prediction, but is it true? Oh yeah, I totally blame Samantha for aggravating Beck.**

 **Are you guys ready for the last chapter before the finale? Trick question, you are!**

* * *

 _Last Time on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala:_

 _Faith officially left the alliance of Kevin and Ilyria to join Ruby and Luke, leaving the others in a clear minority. However, Ruby's distrust of Luke led her to make a deal with Kevin to eliminate him first, followed by Ilyria soon after. Kevin told Ilyria about this deal but warped it around in order to get her to consent, making her believe that Faith had made the deal and that Ruby would go home after Luke! However, all of these propositions screeched to a halt when Luke won immunity. Miscommunications and side deals on side deals meant that the votes were split between everyone else, letting Luke betray the only person that trusted him, as Faith was sent home with only two votes against her._

 _Four remain! Who's getting the boot right before the finale on…_

 _Total!_

 _Drama!_

 _The Curse of K'wala!_

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 24_

* * *

 _ **Merged Players: Ilyria, Kevin, Luke, Ruby**_

The four players still in the game returned from Verloor Island. Unlike other times, right now they were in a heated debate.

"...so why the heck did you vote for Ilyria and not Faith?" Kevin snapped at Ruby. "Faith was the obvious choice here. She was the next best thing to voting for Luke."

Ruby started to say something, but Ilyria cut in. "Why on earth would _you_ not vote for Ruby? Faith was offering us a deal to take out Luke and Ruby!"

"Hold on, I was offering that deal!" Ruby corrected. "To take out Luke and Ilyria!"

"What?" Ilyria glared at Kevin. "So you lied to me and was planning to betray me, huh? After I was nothing but loyal to you, no less!"

Ruby added, "We _do_ have to consider every option. Don't get mad at him for making a strategic move. Like you wouldn't have done the same."

"I surely wouldn't have!" Ilyria replied.

"Don't patronize me!" Kevin barked at the same time. He turned to Ilyria. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you that it was Ruby who had made the deal. I knew you'd react like this!"

"Why wouldn't I?" Ilyria asked. "It's Ruby! Sneaking, conniving, backstabbing Ruby!"

"Hey!" Ruby was offended. "Kevin tried to betray you too!"

"Why bring that up?" Kevin asked her.

"Why didn't you vote for Ilyria? Maybe you were lying about wanting to betray her all along!" Ruby shouted.

Kevin replied, "I most certainly wasn't!"

"I knew it!" Ilyria glared at Kevin.

"Ugh!" All three stormed off in disgust.

After they left, Luke shuffled into the camera's range. His head was held low. He gave a heavy sigh before continuing along his path.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"The _nerve_ of Kevin! Lying to me and wanting to betray me… for Ruby! Did he just forget that she voted for Adde? For Nikki? Where do they get off, trying to work against me? And now they're making me seem like the bad guy!"

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Kevin lied to me, and Ilyria hates me! I can't take either of their words at face value, especially Kevin, who I thought I could trust, though I was clearly wrong. Why wouldn't he vote for Ilyria like we promised? And the worst part is that both of them are painting me as the bad guy!"

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"The girls' anger is completely misdirected. I just tried to make a strategic move, one that would get me into the finale. Doesn't Ilyria understand that I'm just trying to play the game? Obviously not. And Ruby too, for not voting the way she saw fit. Not to mention, both of them are portraying me as the bad guy!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

He gives a heavy sigh, before looking at the camera.

"So I voted out Faith. Hooray," he says in deadpan. "You'll have to excuse me for not being too enthusiastic. I just eliminated my closest friend and ally, which, while necessary was not fun to do. If that wasn't enough, now nobody trusts me and everyone wants me eliminated. On top of it all, my dear old mother is coming for the family visit- I don't have any other family to visit me. So all in all, not a great evening."

He stands up and stretches. "I guess I'll have to start pitching my case as to why the others should take me to the finale, without letting them know that one of them may get the chance to take someone to the finale. Suddenly, the game feels so exhausting."

* * *

 _Day 25_

* * *

The four players were fast asleep- it was barely dawn. The setting was serene, peaceful. A single bird chirped in the background.

"RISE AND SHINE, CONTESTANTS!" Chris shouted into a megaphone, startling the others awake.

"Who's dying?" Luke mumbled.

Ilyria was the first to realize what was going on. "McLean! You're glad I sleep clothed, or else I'd shove a lawsuit up your-"

"Chris?" Ruby stared at the host. "What are you doing here?"

Chris just smiled in return. "All will be explained shortly, as soon as- hey, where's Kevin?"

"Up here," Kevin called. He was peering out from a hammock high in the trees. "What's it to you?"

"Come on down!" Chris encouraged the writer. "You really sleep up there?"

Kevin started to climb down a tree. "Oh, this is nothing. I used to sleep on the opposite side of the island when we started out here."

He finally made his way to the ground, where he stood beside the other three disgruntled contestants.

"Seriously, someone had better be dying," Luke tried to get the sleep out of his eyes.

Chris shook his head. "No death, although we are bringing _something_ to you."

Luke's eyes widened. "Um, now? Because, er… give me a minute."

He dashed behind a tree. A moment later, he returned, now wearing a white polo shirt and beige slacks. He pulled out a pocket comb and began to fix his hair.

Kevin narrowed his gaze on Luke. "Any reason you're… you know what, never mind."

"First things first!" Chris snapped his fingers. "Let's welcome everyone's favourite past contestant and current co-host to the stage- I mean, clearing. It's Logan!"

Logan slowly strode over to stand beside them. He greeted the contestants with a cheery wave. "Hey, everyone."

* * *

Confessional: Chris and Logan

Logan laces his fingers together. "I was feeling down for a while after my girlfriend turned out to be an attempted murderer, I'm not going to lie. But I got past that, especially when we made a bet with Beck and Samantha."

Chris smirks. "See, Logan here thinks that Luke's going to win. Beck thinks it's going to be Ruby. Samantha thinks Ilyria will win, and Kevin's my champion. Whoever gets this right wins a steak dinner at _Carnoso Clyde's,_ which is, according to those two, the best steakhouse in Texas."

Logan turns to Chris. "Hey, when's Beck getting unsuspended? And come to think of it, why's Samantha still here?"

"I'm just banning him from this one episode," Chris replied. "To scare some sense into him. And I think their mom wanted to save on plane tickets. Believe me, it was a _nightmare_ getting all eighteen contestants here on separate planes so they wouldn't see each other."

Logan just shrugs.

* * *

"Glad you're back," Kevin jutted his chin at Chris. "This guy made me cross a ten-meter-high gap with no safety equipment."

"There was water at the bottom!" Chris protested as Logan glared at him.

"Less than a foot," Kevin muttered. "I know from experience."

Chris chuckled awkwardly. "On that note, we wanted to congratulate you for making it this far. Are you ready to see your prizes?"

"Normally I'm all for surprises," Ruby said worriedly, "But I don't know about this one."

"We have a volunteer!" Chris looked at Ruby and smiled. "Ruby, your final four prize, coming to you all the way from Toronto, Ontario… your dad, Sergeant Ozzy Carpenter!"

Ozzy walked out from behind a bush. He was a muscular man who wore a jacket with his name printed on it, as well as an official policeman's pants and boots. His eyes brightened when he saw Ruby. "Ruby! Come here, my girl."

"Daddy!" Ruby shouted. She ran over to him and gave him a hug.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby and Ozzy

"It was always a dream of mine to see my daughters on Total Drama," Ozzy gives another smile as he motions to Ruby. "After Pearl got on without Ruby, I was worried for her, but I was glad that she made it on this season." He turns to his daughter. "I knew you'd make it!"

Ruby smiles. "Thanks, Daddy. All of your support has helped me make it this far, that's for sure."

Ozzy's eyes widen as he looks at her. "Look at how much you've _grown_!"

"Dad~" Ruby groans, albeit with a remnant of a smile on her face.

* * *

"Hey, why are you wearing your work uniform?" Ruby asked, looking at her dad's choice of apparel.

Ozzy looked down at his clothes. "I'm a cop. I have to look the parts, so when people see me, they see Sergeant Ozzy- a brutal, ruthless, fearless policeman."

"Is that a seagull on your shoulder?" Ruby asked innocently, pointing to his shoulder.

"Gah!" Ozzy immediately flinched and waved his arms violently. "Get it off!" Slowly, he lowered his arms to give his daughter a firm glare. "Don't joke about that!"

"Fearless, eh?" Ruby chuckled.

Ozzy shrugged. Then he saw Chris, and his eyes narrowed. "Christian Marian McLean."

Chris cringed. "Who told you my middle name?"

"Wait," Logan snickered. "Your middle name is _Marian?_ Isn't that a girls' name?"

Luke faced the camera. "The author is referencing exactly what you think he's referencing."

"McLean!" Ozzy repeated. "How do you explain that someone you let on _your_ show attempted to blow up the island?"

"...Is it bad that I need to inquire as to which time you're referring to?" Chris asked meekly.

Ozzy glared at him. "I have half a mind to call my squad in and cart you away. You're looking at three, four years, plus other charges."

"I have lawyers." Chris said smugly.

"I have better ones," Ozzy replied.

Chris paled. "Heh… you're not serious, right?" As he saw that Ozzy was, indeed, serious, he stepped back. "I can't go back! I might miss out on future seasons! They were considering me for hosting the Gemmys! You can't take all of that away!"

"I can and I will," Ozzy growled as he stepped forward.

Ruby appeared as she stepped between the two. "Dad!" She said, offended. "You can't _do_ that!"

Ozzy relaxed. He pointed a finger at Chris. "I'm watching you."

Chris shuddered.

* * *

Confessional: Chris and Logan

Chris is frantically dialing on his cell phone. "He can't do this! I'll be ruined!" He noticed Logan snickering and looked up. "And what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing," Logan said instantly, though trying to hide a laugh. "Just… _Marian_."

Chris fumed silently as Logan continued to chuckle.

* * *

"Next up is Kevin's prize," Chris said. "Coming from Halifax, Nova Scotia, your cousin Jamila!"

Jamila appeared, and most of the contestants were surprised. Jamila was a young woman in her twenties, with chestnut skin and green eyes. She wore a bright yellow tee-shirt with a band logo on it. From the waist down, however…

"Wait a minute," Chris said. "Nobody told me she was in a wheelchair."

"You didn't ask," Logan replied.

Indeed, Jamila was sitting in a silvery and black chair. When the camera zoomed in one could see that she was missing both legs at the knees.

"Kevin!" Jamila greeted warmly. "Get over here, you loser."

Kevin happily obliged, rushing over to pick up his cousin in a hug.

He broke into a smile. "I can't believe you made it here!"

"Finally," Jamila smirked. "I guess even after my Season 1 application was rejected, the Total Drama Gods wanted me here."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin and Jamila

"I applied way back for the debut season," Jamila explained. "Wow, that was a long time ago, now that I think of it."

"They didn't let her on because she forgot her legs," Kevin snickered. He received a smack to the back of the head for his joke. "But she made sure to get me hooked on the show. But…" He looked at his cousin. "How'd the producers let you on this time? They were pretty adamant about not letting someone with a wheelchair on for safety reasons."

"I didn't tell them," Jamila winked.

* * *

"How's mom?" Kevin immediately asked, putting Jamila back down in her chair.

Jamila shrugged. "Aunt Kelly's in a good spot. Sometimes she relapses into her old habits whenever someone brings up Lana, but she's all right."

"...I haven't told them about Lana yet," Kevin gestured to the other contestants. "Let's keep that under wraps." When Jamila nodded, he continued. "How's… Mike?" He shuddered on the last word.

"No change," Jamila shrugged. "He's been on good behaviour. He's eligible for parole soon."

Kevin grimaced. "Like he's actually changed. He can't get parole, I'll make sure of it."

Jamila shrugged. "He misses you."

"Whatever," Kevin shook his head, bored. "Ah… How's the job search going?"

Jamila's cheery expression faded away. "Let's discuss that later."

"Sounds good," Kevin agreed, looking at the other people who were watching their conversation. "Wow, I'm being rude. Everyone, this is Jamila."

"Hi, Jamila," The others chorused.

"You didn't introduce me," Ozzy muttered to Ruby.

"You didn't ask," Ruby replied.

"Let's give the others a turn," Kevin instinctively went to the back of her chair to push it.

"Hey, leave me alone," Jamila said. "I'm six years older than you. I can do it myself."

Kevin didn't hesitate. "Not while I'm here, you won't." He continued to roll her until they were beside Ozzy and Ruby.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Family's a great way to bring us all together. Just yesterday, we were bickering over the vote, but now we can all see what makes us similar and motivates us."

* * *

"Such a display is almost enough to warm Chris' icy heart," Logan smirked.

"Remind me why I hired you?" Chris asked him.

Logan smirked. "I'd like to say I reminded you of you, only more sarcastic and," he covered his next words with a hasty cough. " _Better looking-!_ "

"Next up, Ilyria!" Chris said. Ilyria nodded. "We had surprising difficulty finding a family member for you. Seriously, whoever designed London really needs to learn how to simplify."

"...What do you expect me to do about that?" Ilyria asked.

Chris faltered. "Er, never mind. Anyway, we went with the next best thing! Say hello to your coworker Eugene!"

"Lyrie!" Eugene called as he dashed out from… wherever the guests were.

"Genie!" Ilyria said, equally excited. She laughed as Eugene picked her up in a bear hug.

Eugene was a tall, muscular latino boy. He had a mischievous look in his green eyes and what resembled a goatee on his face. He wore a black muscle shirt and pants similar to Ilyria's, except they were decorated with the Cuban flag instead of Ilyria's Union Jack.

Ilyria scoffed, pointing at Eugene's goatee. "All right, out with it. What's that thing doing on your face?"

"You don't like it?" Eugene put on a pouty face. "Without you around there was no one to tell me not to."

"You look like a pirate," Ilyria said. She smiled again. "I can't believe you're here!"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria and Eugene

Eugene winked at the camera. "Lyrie and I have been best friends since we joined the HAP training program. She graduated top-of-class."

"And this guy nearly failed," Ilyria bumped Eugene. "I had to beg the Headmaster to let Genie stay."

Eugene shrugged. "Hey, I made it eventually, no?"

* * *

"So how are you handling your newfound fame?" Eugene asked.

Ilyria giggled. "What are you talking about?"

"Dude! You don't know?" His eyes widened. "The footage of you taking down Morgan went viral! You're a hit on YouTube! There are rumours that the Headmaster's going to use the video as training material!"

"Really? I was just doing my job," Ilyria went a little red.

Eugene gave her a look. "Lyrie, your _job_ is to be a take-no-crap fighter! You'd think you'd know after so many years. Or has your new boyfriend distracted you?"

Ilyria went even redder. "I- I don't-"

"I follow this show religiously. You weren't actually expecting me to forget?" Eugene laughed. "It's all right. He seems like a nice guy. I want to meet him before things get too serious, though."

"Who are you, my dad?" Ilyria grumbled.

"A concerned friend," Eugene corrected. "Who's like a brother to you. A good looking older brother."

Ilyria shook her head. "You mean a pirate-looking younger nuisance, right?"

As Eugene pretended to take offense, Kevin spoke up. "I have a question for you, Eugene."

"Call me Genie," Eugene smirked.

"Right. So Eugene, aren't HAP agents supposed to keep their identities secret?" Kevin asked.

Ilyria and Eugene looked and at each other and burst out laughing. At Kevin's look of confusion, Ilyria shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. Yes, we're _supposed to_ …" They started laughing again.

Eugene smiled. "It's a long story, but it basically boils down to me accidentally arresting a hot dog vendor, flying him halfway to the nearest HAP outpost, dropping him in the ocean, and having to do a press release so I didn't get sued."

Kevin sighed. "That's… actually not super surprising."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"This Eugene kid seems like a cool guy! I bet in an alternate universe we'd be close. But he must be doing something right- I've never seen Ilyria look so happy in my life."

* * *

"And finally, Luke," Chris said. Luke's breath hitched. "From Hollywood, California-"

"As opposed to Hollywood, Wyoming?" Logan murmured.

"-your mother, Diana Cicero!" Chris finished.

Diana strolled out pointedly and formally. She approached Luke and greeted him with a firm handshake. "Luke."

"Mother," Luke replied, with little warmth in his voice.

She looked around. "I can't understand why you chose _this_ of all shows. In Big Brother you live indoors. And you, of course, said no to the Ridonculous Race, for unknown reasons. You passed on all of that, for this?"

"Well," Luke said with a formality that the others hadn't yet heard, "I wanted to challenge myself. Especially since you decided that I should play the game without any allies."

The others goggled at this statement, but if Diana noticed, she paid them no mind.

"Of course. And look where it got you! Final four, and probably higher," Diana winked. "I made the right call."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

He sighs. "Give it up for my mom, everyone," he says without the formality of earlier. "If you weren't focused on that conversation, let's review. A, she forced me to go onto a reality TV show of my choosing in order to make a name for myself in the world. B, she forced upon me the strategy which I would be using to make it as far as I have. C, she took credit for my achievements in the game. To conclude, my mom loves to be the center of attention and is living vicariously through me. Hooray."

* * *

"Your hair's messy," Diana offhandedly commented. "No Cicero should look so disorderly."

"Not that I've been on an island for three and a half weeks or anything," Luke grumbled under his breath.

"Speak up," Diana insisted. "You have a voice comparable to my own. Use it."

"Mrs. Cicero?" Eugene stepped forward with a bow. "The name's Eugene. But you can call me," he winked, "any time."

As Diana looked mortified, Ilyria kicked Eugene in the shins.

"Anyway," he said in what he thought was a suave voice. "I'm a huge fan of your movies, especially _Death by Laughter 3._ What was your favourite part of that movie?"

Diana frowned. "I hated _Death by Laughter 3._ They killed my character off in the first scene."

"Oh," Eugene said sheepishly. "Um… you single?"

"Genie!" Ilyria gasped, offended.

"It's a legitimate question!" Eugene tried to defend himself and looked dignified. He failed at both.

"Not that it's any of your business," Diana began, "But yes, I recently started seeing one of my colleagues, with whom I'm working on a film."

Luke was surprised. "Yes, very recently. So much so that I had no idea about this until now." He faced his mother. "Mother, and I mean this in the best way possible, who's the sleazebag?"

"Ryan Cheddar," Diana replied.

"RYAN-" Luke started to shout, before he composed himself. "That D-List actor? Why would you see him? He's a total gold digger!"

"I don't remember this being your choice," Diana sniffed sternly.

" _I don't remember much of anything being my choice these days,"_ Luke muttered.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

She is surprised. "Wow. I mean, I had a feeling Luke's home life wasn't all that, but Diana seems like she's trying to control him! If this is any indication of her parenting style, no wonder he's so… erratic."

* * *

Chris cleared his throat. "Well, what a… terse greeting! But we have more important things to do. Like give you the _real_ prize!"

"But wait! There's more!" Eugene said avidly. He looked around. "Heh… force of habit."

"You're not wrong," Logan shrugged. "Because, waiting just beyond this clearing is a Final Four Feast!"

"...It's like six o'clock in the morning," Ilyria groaned, checking her watch. "As much as I enjoy seeing Genie again, I just want to sleep."

"Too bad, so sad!" Chris laughed. "Follow me!"

They did, emerging at a long table with various platters of food on it. Everyone sat down and started to eat.

"We'll leave you to it," Logan smirked. "The challenge is at the usual time tomorrow. Be there or be square."

"That was in when _I_ was a kid," Ozzy shot back. "And I'm old."

"Whatever," Logan said as he and Chris left.

Ilyria scanned the breakfast table. "Hm… No baked beans, no tomatoes… what kind of a breakfast is this?" Not to mention not a teacup in sight."

"You're not helping the stereotype," Eugene chimed in.

"It's six in the morning. It's too early to be worried about that," Ilyria shook her head. "Pass the boiled eggs."

Kevin did so, reaching over the table. "There you go." He turned to Jamila. "How are you feeling?"

Jamila looked down. "Actually… can we talk?"

Kevin nodded. He turned to the others, saying, "Save some food for us," then he left the table. Once he had wheeled Jamila's chair far away enough that they wouldn't be heard, before asking, "Out with it. What's wrong?"

"We're broke," Jamila said. "Like, flat broke. Like, we can pay the bills for the next month and that's it broke. Like-"

"Okay, I get it," Kevin cut her off. "You and mom _both_ can't get jobs?"'

Jamila sighed. "I lied about Aunt Kelly before- she's doing worse than ever."

Kevin clenched his fists. "Argh!"

Jamila continued. "No one wants to take her on, and even when they start to consider she messes it up. And of course nobody wants to hire a girl in a wheelchair, qualified though she may be."

"Ableist jerks. You have a Master's Degree, for crying out loud!" Kevin roared.

"Shh! Shut up," Jamila said. "None of the major companies want to hire me, but I can… work at McDonald's, or something. I have nothing to do all day. I could probably work two or three jobs if I needed to-"

"You won't need to," Kevin snapped. "I'm going to win."

Jamila's expression softened. "Kevin, I know you're trying, but what happens if-"

"No! I'm going to win!" Kevin insisted.

"But what if you don't, huh?" Jamila replied harshly. "What if there's a sudden-death challenge? What if the others are making an alliance against you? There's so many things that could go wrong! You have to accept that this might not happen!"

Kevin was silent. He studied his cousin's face. "...There's something else wrong. Is it about Mike?" He said this last word with a cringe.

Jamila sighed. "When I visited him… in jail… he wanted me to pass on a message."

He rolled his eyes. "What does he want this time?"

Jamila hestated. "He says… he says he's sorry for Lana."

Kevin was silent.

"He says he realizes he made a mistake, and wants your forgiveness," Jamila added.

Kevin slowly looked her in the eye. "He lies. All the time, he lies. Why would I accept his apology now?"

"Kevin, I really think you should give him a chance-" Jamila insisted.

"I gave him a chance!" Kevin snapped. "And Lana ended up _dead!_ I don't care if I'm being petty, or irrational, but that snake deserves to rot in a cell for the rest of his life."

"But-"

"Drop the subject now," Kevin finished, "Or I'll leave you in this field and let you find your way back."

She shrugged. "All right. Then why don't you make yourself useful and show me around the island?"

* * *

Confessional: Jamila

"I'm concerned for Kevin," she says worriedly. "He's been holding onto this anger for so long. He pushes people… _me_ away. I thought him coming on the show would help, but if anything it just made things worse. I don't know what to do!"

* * *

"Mmm!" Ozzy patted his belly. "What a good meal. You done, Ruby?"

"Just about," Ruby replied. She stabbed several pieces of sausage onto a fork and stood up. "Okay, I'm good."

The two left the table.

"So," Ozzy smirked in that mischievous way only parents can. "Did you find any cute girls here?"

Ruby shrugged. "Why are parents always involved in their children's' love lives?"

"You're dodging the question," Ozzy grinned.

"Dad!" Ruby scolded good-naturedly. "And no, I didn't. I made a bunch of friends, though."

Ozzy looked around. "Do you want to introduce me to them?"

"You won't find them here; they've all been voted off," she said. "I'm the last one."

Ozzy bumped her shoulder. "I'm not surprised. You're a _Carpenter!_ Why don't we sit and you can tell me about your friends?"

By this point, they had arrived on the beach. The father-daughter duo sat down, Ruby leaning into Ozzy.

"So the first one was Faith," Ruby began. "She was nice, She doesn't have a whole lot of friends back home because she's always taking care of her siblings. She's a good leader, if a little 'do-as-I-say-with-no-objections-y'. She was just voted out last night, actually."

"Hmm," Ozzy scratched his chin.

"Then there was Michael," Ruby added. "We were on the same team for the entire game, but I only really started interacting with him after the final fifteen, after everyone had a team swap. He's _super_ smart. Like, you wouldn't believe how much he knows. It made him a strategic threat. I was in a formal alliance with him, Luke, and Arianna until about the final seven." Then she sighed. "He's gone through… a lot of hardships in his life, and so he's pretty sad, but he's a good guy once you get to know him. He went home right before Faith."

"I see." Ozzy nodded. "You mentioned you were in an alliance with Luke? Is he nice?"

"I thought he was, at first. We all did," she sighed. "It was all an act. He turned on Faith, Michael, Arianna, and I wasn't on his team before the merge, so I don't really know, but I think he also backstabbed Renee, Connie, and Connor."

"A third of the cast," Ozzy said, surprised.

"Every ally he's ever had," Ruby agreed.

"You mentioned this one girl… Ariel, I think? What's she like?" Ozzy wondered. "She must have been the good sort to have been in an alliance with you."

Ruby chuckled. "Arianna, you mean? Actually, dad, she was one of the meanest people on the season. Michael, our alliance leader, only decided to add her out of necessity, and to drop her as soon as we could."

"But…?" Ozzy prompted.

"Arianna's sole purpose was to eliminate Faith. I never asked why, but they hated each other. It was the final eight, and Arianna had this mystery advantage. Our alliance was going to vote for Faith, but for some reason Michael decided that he, Luke, and I were going to change our vote to another guy. Arianna played the advantage, which made every vote cast against her not count and gave her two extra votes- oh, and her first vote was already blocked, and so was Faith's- and Arianna voted twice against Faith, but our three votes against the other guy, he went home and Arianna got mad. She decided to out me as secretly being in her alliance- for context, I was in her alliance first, but Kevin scooped me up for his majority alliance, but I never voted with them which got everyone paranoid when one of their own went home. So Arianna did that, and then there were two solid alliances of three with Arianna in the middle, right? We didn't think she'd get voted out because she was the swing vote, but everyone split their votes and Faith and Luke worked together to blindside Arianna even though neither of their alliances wanted to vote her out, which got everyone mad at them."

Ozzy's eyes were wide. "Uh…"

"Does that make sense?" Ruby asked.

"No…" Ozzy shook his head. "So Arianna wasn't nice?"

"Hm? No," Ruby replied. "Not at all."

* * *

Confessional: Ozzy

"I knew this game was complex, but… wow. I have a new respect for my Ruby after hearing all of that. She's really playing strategically. I'm proud of her."

* * *

Ilyria and Eugene were standing at the top of a cliff, overlooking the water.

"So how's the game?" Eugene asked.

Suddenly, Ilyria burst into tears.

"Aight," Eugene nodded. He gave the camera a quick glance. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry," Ilyria sniffled. "I've just been holding in so much emotion for so long… and I had to be strong in front of everyone… and…"

Eugene patted her on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Ilyria shook her head. "It's stupid."

"Ilyria Song," Eugene said sternly. "We've been best friends since we entered the academy. We've told each other everything, even when it was tough. Like when I told you I had stage fright and once peed my pants during our year six Christmas recital. Or when you told me that you had a crush on that Jordan guy, or when you started dating that Jordan guy, or when you broke up with that Jordan guy. Man, I can't stand that kid."

Ilyria chuckled in spite of herself.

"Lyrie," Eugene crouched down. "I know your real name. You know mine. If that's not one hundred percent trust, I don't know what is. We're tight, you and I."

Ilyria nodded. Through tears, she said, "This game is so stressful. At first I was content to stand back and let others do the strategizing. But then I almost got eliminated and I knew I had to work to stay in the game. So I did. I made solid alliances on both teams I found myself on, and didn't receive a single vote until the merge."

"Then Morgan happened," Eugene said.

"Then Morgan happened," Ilyria agreed. "I had to reveal that I was a secret agent, and suddenly I was the biggest threat of the game. First they took out Addie. Now I've gotten votes against me in the past three ceremonies. The only person I trusted went home, and Kevin, who I thought I could trust, made a final two deal with Ruby! There's just so much that I…" she trailed off. "None of this would've happened if I wasn't a HAP agent."

Suddenly, Eugene pushed Ilyria off the cliff.

He waited with a smirk as Ilyria, using her rocket-propelled boots, flew back up and came to a halt beside him. She had an annoyed expression on her face and her arms were crossed.

"Sorry, Lyrie," Eugene said. "But wishing for something doesn't make it happen. You _are_ a HAP agent, and nothing's going to change that. Maybe none of this wouldn't have happened if you weren't, I get that. But you never would have come on this show. You never would have had a one-in-four chance of winning a million dollars. You never would have met your boyfriend. But most importantly, _I_ wouldn't have been able to fly first-class to New Zealand."

Ilyria laughed. "You're horrible."

"I can't refute that," Eugene shrugged.

"One more thing… were you really serious about Luke's mom back there?" Ilyria wondered.

Eugene wiggled his eyebrows. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for film." Upon Ilyria's look, he added. "Oh come on. LIke you've never had a celebrity crush."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

She holds up her letter. "The thing is… I'm _not_ a HAP agent. Not anymore, at least. But you know what? Genie's right. I'm going to make the most of my last few days here, and I'm going to take home that money. Just watch me."

* * *

Luke and Diana were the only ones left at the table. Diana watched Luke with curiosity while luke picked at the tablecloth.

"...Ryan Cheddar, eh?" Luke said. "The same Ryan Cheddar who pushed me down the front steps of the studio to get to an interviewer? And later twisted the story to make it seem like he was the victim?"

Diana frowned. "Don't say 'eh'. It's informal. Besides, that was nearly a decade ago. He apologized."

"I may be remembering it incorrectly," Luke began, "But he threw a quick 'sorry' over his shoulder and walked away. And that was just for the cameras."

"One incident," Diana tutted.

"Oh, there's more than one. Drug allegations, cheating on his wife, the list goes on. Plus, he's a crappy actor," Luke finished.

Diana glared at him. "It's not for you to decide what I do."

"Hypocrite," Luke whispered.

Diana coughed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing," Luke shrugged. Suddenly, a wild look appeared in his eyes. "Actually, no, not nothing. Something. Something important, something which I've been meaning to say for a while."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Luke raised his voice. "You're a hypocrite, that's what. You treat my opinion like trash, and yet you expect me to blindly follow your orders to the letter!"

Diana gasped. "Luke Cicero! How dare you belittle my parenting style-"

"That's not parenting, that's commanding! I'm not taking it anymore!" Luke yelled.

Diana shook her head. "Quit these accusations. This is coming completely out of the blue! This show is a bad influence-"

"No, _mother,_ " Luke spat the word venomously. "This has been a long time coming, and the show has nothing to do with it. _You_ are the reason I never mailed in our Ridonculous Race application. _You_ are the reason that I quit my theater troupe. _You_ are the reason why I felt the need to make as many alliances as possible, before backstabbing them all! It's all you!"

Diana was aghast. "You… you quit your theater troupe?"

Luke stood. "Yeah, mother, I did. I used to love acting, but you pushed it upon me to the point where I can barely quote Shakespeare without hearing your voice in my head!"

Diana frowned. "I don't… I don't understand…"

"Yeah, no one does," Luke said sardonically. "The only person who ever could is dad, and now you're trying to replace him with that douche Ryan Cheddar!"

His mother was speechless.

Luke started to walk away from the table. "Enjoy your free beach day, courtesy of your son. I'll see you at the challenge."

He left.

* * *

Confessional: Diana

She smiles. "My son is merely being temperamental, that's all. We love each other completely," she then frowns. "Right?"

* * *

 _Night 25_

* * *

The eight contestants and family members were sitting around a campfire. Eugene and Kevin were discussing video game dynamics while Ilyria and Jamila shared a look that clearly said, _Boys._ Ruby was cuddled up to Ozzy as they enjoyed the heat of the fire, while Luke and Diana were situated as far from each other as possible. Diana occasionally stole looks at Luke whereas Luke stared directly into the fire.

"Erm, Kevin, is it?" Ozzy suddenly said. He stood up, forcing Ruby to readjust her position. "Can we speak in private?"

"Uh… sure," Kevin stood suspiciously. He gestured for Ozzy to follow him.

Once they were far enough away, he added, "So what did you want to talk to me for… sir?"

"There's no need to call me sir, professor," Ozzy quoted with a snicker. At Kevin's blank look, he added. "You walked right into that one."

Kevin blinked.

"Right," Ozzy became serious again. "You mentioned earlier that you had a relative in jail. Do you mind elaborating?"

"I guess…" Kevin scratched the back of his neck. "It's my step-dad, Mike. He was a real son of a- I mean bad guy," he corrected awkwardly. "He was abusive to my foster sister and my mom. Eventually, after some… personal stuff… I had enough. I called the cops and they hauled him away."

Ozzy nodded. "Can you go into detail about the personal stuff?" he inquired.

Kevin shook his head. "Honestly, I think you're nice enough, but I've only shared that with one person outside my family. You'll find out when the season airs."

"Fair," Ozzy shrugged. "Well, if there's anything I can do, feel free to ask."

"Not unless you know how to scare up enough money to put a family out of debt," Kevin said offhandedly. His eyes widened. "Um… Ignore that. I shouldn't have said that." He started to walk away. "I should go."

"All right," Ozzy said with a pensive look.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"You know I know a lot of words. And yet I don't think there's a single word to describe how horrendously _awkward_ that whole interaction was."

* * *

Congressional: Ozzy

He scratches his chin. "Maybe there _is_ something I can do to help."

* * *

 _Day 26_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: Mount Tarapyn (Base)**_

"Welcome, contestants and family members! And Eugene!" Chris said with grandeur as they entered. "I trust you enjoyed your day?"

Most of them nodded or smiled. Luke and his mother made no such motion.

"Good," Logan nodded. "Without further adieu, let's get to the challenge. If you would look behind you, please."

They did so, and were surprised to see four paved circular tracks, each the same length. All four of them were in different colours, and each had a flag flying in the center. Displayed on the flags was a picture of the competitor and their corresponding partner.

"This challenge is a simple one," Chris said. "One person will complete an entire lap around the track, then the other person. You'll go back and forth like that until one of two things happens."

"The first," Logan explained, "Is if one of you dips below 6 kilometers per hour, or 3.7 miles per hour, for more than ten seconds, then you will be eliminated from the challenge. Or, if one of you gives up and comes to a complete stop, you'll also be eliminated."

"After three duos are eliminated, the last remaining competitor will win immunity, a guaranteed spot in the finale, and…" Chris gestured to Logan.

Logan smirked. "This person will have the ability to bring one other person into the finale with them, leaving the other two to compete in a tiebreaker for the final spot."

There were the expected shocked gasps.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Whoever wins this challenge could single-handedly win the game with this special advantage. I knew winning immunity would be important, but now it's paramount to my success."

* * *

"Any questions?" Logan asked.

Jamila's hand shot up. "I should hope my question is obvious," she gestured to her wheelchair.

"Right. About that," Chris chuckled. "See, you didn't mention your disability on the family application form, so we didn't have time to make arrangements."

Ozzy glared at Chris.

"...But, we'll let you go a bit slower to make up for it," Chris continued nervously. "Let's say… 4 kilometers per hour."

"2.5 miles per hour," Logan said after whipping out a calculator. "Any other questions?"

"How will you know how fast we're going?" Luke asked.

"Interns holding radar guns," Chris said simply. "Anyone else?"

"Is there a Curse of K'wala effect?" Luke asked.

"Nope."

Silence.

"Get into positions, then, and we'll start."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Running? Compared to the other challenges, this one seems suspiciously easy… but I'm not complaining, either."

* * *

When everyone was positioned on their individual running tracks, with the contestants poised to make the first lap, Chris pulled out an airhorn. "Ready? For a spot in the finale…"

…

…

…

…

…

"Go!" He said, and they were off.

Each contestant took off at a light jog of similar but varying speeds- Luke was going the fastest, while Kevin was going the slowest.

"All of them are just starting," Chris narrated. "Each at a decent speed, for now. But as it goes on, things are going to get harder and harder."

"Luke's the first to complete his lap," Logan said as Luke tagged his mother. "Next is Ilyria. Then Ruby. Kevin rounds out the group."

Now the contestants' family members were all running, or wheeling, in Jamila's case. She was rolling the sides of her chair with a calm expression on her face. Diana was the second slowest, barely staying above the speed limit. Ozzy was jogging quickly, having shed his police equipment. Eugene was taking a different approach, running at a full sprint.

"Genie! Slow down! It's not a race!" Ilyria shouted as he neared the three-quarter mark of the track.

He smirked and shrugged, before finishing his lap quite a ways ahead of the others.

* * *

Confessional: Eugene

"Hey, I know what I'm doing. I prefer to do short bursts of sprinting than a slower jog that lasts longer. Besides, comparatively, my breaks are longer, right?"

* * *

Confessional: Jamila

"You know, racing in this chair is harder than it looks. But I'm not giving up. Not for my cousin, not for me."

* * *

Ozzy finished his lap, followed by Diana. Ruby and Luke started to jog again. A few seconds later, Jamila finished and Kevin took off.

"Kevin, you're going too slow. Speed up," Chris advised.

"'Kay," Kevin grunted. He picked up the pace slightly.

Luke and Ruby locked eyes from their separate tracks.. Luke turned to his competitor and said, "I wish you the best of luck. You'll need it."

Ruby just nodded, unwilling to waste any energy talking.

Ilyria, who was fast and had started earlier than the others, tagged Eugene, who set off at another sprint despite her insistence of not doing so.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I'm not getting tired just yet. I want to see exactly how slow I can go. It's a risky strategy, but the final four is no time to play it safe."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Good luck? Why would he say that? It's like he's giving up- I just don't get him."

* * *

Eugene was halfway down his track before Ozzy and Diana- the family members of whom finished at nearly the same time- began to run. Ozzy continued his purposeful jog, whereas Diana didn't seem to be putting as much effort in.

"Speed up, Diana," Chris warned.

"Come on, mother," Luke muttered.

She did so, with steel in her eyes, continuing down the track.

Eugene and Kevin finished right before and after one another, respectively.

"Let's go, dad!" Ruby cheered as Ozzy rounded the corner with a small smile. "You got this!"

* * *

Confessional: Ozzy

"If you had told me I'd be running a tag-team marathon with my daughter in New Zealand, I'd have told you that you were crazy. But it's an experience I won't soon forget."

* * *

Confessional: Diana

"For the record, I work out daily. However, normally I do yoga and power-walking, not silly jogging in a circle. I'm out of practice, that's all," she sniffs.

* * *

Ruby started her run determinedly. "I'm doing this. I'm doing this," she chanted to herself.

Jamila groaned a little as she rapidly moved her arms along the wheels, propelling herself forward.

"You can do it!" she heard Kevin say. She smiled, and kept going with renewed vigor.

Diana tagged Luke forcefully, and Luke started to jog just a little too fast. Soon, he tripped over his feet, stumbling down the track.

...He kept his balance and kept going, albeit at a slower pace.

Ilyria finished her lap. "Slow down!" She called after a sprinting Eugene as she struggled to catch her breath.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"That was a close call. I _have_ to win this, to prove to everyone that I can do it. And a little jog isn't going to stop me, that's for certain."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"Maybe sprinting is great for Genie, but he doesn't seem to realize that I'm getting no time at all to rest! Nevertheless, I'm the best athlete here, with the possible exception of Ruby's father. I can pull this off, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Time passed uneventfully. Occasionally, Chris had to tell someone- normally Kevin or Diana- to speed up, but there were no major incidents.

"How long's it been?" Logan asked.

"About forty minutes," Chris chuckled. "This is what I call a challenge! No bells and whistles, just eight people running in a circle."

"It's pretty boring, don't you think?" Logan wondered.

Chris glanced down at a tablet quickly. "Oop, it might get more interesting." He glanced at the runners. "Ilyria! Diana! Kevin! All three of you need to speed up!"

The three in question looked at each other, mostly exhausted. Two of them started to run faster, but one of them…

"You still need to hustle!" Chris shouted. "In five… four… three… two… one… you're out!"

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Diana groaned and walked off the track.

"Mother! How could you-" Luke started to say.

"Don't speak to me, boy," Diana muttered. "You'd better get your priorities straight, or else…"

Luke scoffed. "Or else what," he said flatly.

* * *

Confessional: Luke and Diana

It's obvious that neither of them want to be where they are. Both Ciceros are crossing their arms and glaring at the camera.

* * *

"Now we're down to three," Chris narrated. "Who will be the next to give up on immunity? Let's see."

They waited. Time passed, until something eventful started to happen.

"For Christ's sake, Eugene De La Rose, slow down!" Ilyria gasped as she tagged him. She was clearly out if breath.

Eugene sighed. "Fine, whatever." He slowed to a jog.

"Kevin, you _have_ to go faster!" Chris insisted. He looked down at his tablet again. "You too, Ruby."

Ruby's eyes widened with surprise as she realized she was slowing down. She tried to go faster, as did Kevin, who was wheezing with the effort.

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"Ack! Cramp!" Eugene suddenly toppled over.

"And Ilyria and Eugene are out!" Chris announced as Eugene slowly got up with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Lyrie," he sighed.

Ilyria shook her head. "I shouldn't have told you to slow down."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria and Eugene

"Maybe I'm not winning immunity," Ilyria reasoned, "But I got to spend a day and a half with my best friend. That's reward enough."

"Besides, Lyrie's a total challenge beast. She'll be able to win whatever tiebreaker someone throws at her… that is, if she's even chosen," Eugene winks.

* * *

"After seventy minutes, two have fallen," Chris narrated. "Who will be the winner of immunity: Ruby or Kevin? Kevin or Ruby?"

"Yes," Kevin chuckled to himself despite being extremely tired. He was currently watching as Jamila made her way around the track.

"What?" Chris said. "Yes? What do you mean?"

"Well," Ozzy called as he ran, "Either Kevin or Ruby is winning immunity," he tagged Ruby and hunched over. "So you asked if Kevin or Ruby will win, and he said, yes."

"I don't get it," Chris complained.

"Let me explain," Logan held up two fingers. "You see…"

The father-daughter duo and the cousins kept running (or wheeling), even though they were getting even more tired.

"Ugh! This is torture," spat Kevin as he ran.

"If you give up, it'll be easier for us all," Ruby shot at him.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Thank, but I'll pass."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I have to win this challenge."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I _must_ win the challenge."

* * *

"Two hours have passed!" Chris said in disbelief. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting anyone to make it this far."

No one replied, everyone invested in their tasks.

"Jamila, Ozzy, both of you speed up," Chris instructed.

Jamila let out a pained grunt and moved faster. Ozzy, with sweat caking his forehead, followed suit.

They tagged their partners at the exact same time. Ruby and Kevin set off at identical paces- both of which were too slow.

"Speed up! Both of you!" Chris shouted.

Neither did so.

"I said, _speed up!_ You have six seconds… five…"

Kevin looked at Ruby.

"Four… three…"

Ruby looked at Kevin.

"Two… one…"

Suddenly, one person put on a burst of speed, while the other hung their head in shame, gasping for air.

…

…

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"Kevin wins immunity," Logan spoke calmly with a smile.

Kevin's eyes widened with surprise. He flopped onto the ground and raised a triumphant fist.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

He's giving his most genuine smile yet. "All the work… the struggles… the pain… it's all paying off now. I'm going to the finale!" He shouts. "I'm going to the finale!"

* * *

Ruby sighed. "Good… job… Kevin…" She wheezed out, hunched down with her hands on her knees.

Ozzy patted her on the back. "Hey, it's alright. You did well. I'm proud of you."

Logan interrupted. "If I may… please say goodbye to your family members now, so we can continue."

They did so, with some hugs, some teary eyes, and one extremely awkward interaction between Luke and Diana.

Luke glared at his mother. "I know you don't believe in me. But you watch, mother. I'm winning this, whether you like it or not."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Diana said simply, before walking off with everyone else.

Chris and Logan gestured to the four contestants. "There you have it. Kevin wins immunity, and will be selecting who joins him and which two rivals will be facing each other in the tiebreaker," Chris said as Logan walked off.

The host grinned. "And guess what? That's happening.."

"...Right now," Logan finished as he wheeled in a long bench. Another intern brought in a podium for them to stand at.

"Wait, what?" Kevin was shocked.

"That's right. We're giving you sixty seconds to come up with one reason why you deserve to make the finale. Then you'll present these to Kevin, and he'll choose from there," Chris said. "Starting…" he set a stopwatch. "Now."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Geez. I wasn't expecting to make this decision so soon. I wanted to have conversations, strategize… in hindsight, I should've expected something like this. This _is_ Total Drama, after all. The only show where winning immunity can be stressful."

* * *

"Time!" Chris said, stowing away his stopwatch. "Everyone can sit down. We'll go in… alphabetical order of middle name. Determine among yourselves what that order is."

"Well, my middle name's Tristan," Luke said smugly.

"Jewel," Ilyria said.

"Anna," Ruby finished glumly. "Look like I'm up first."

"Any time you're ready," Logan prompted.

Ruby turned to Kevin. "Okay," she sighed, before standing up confidently. "I think I deserve to make the finale because I've had to work the hardest to get here." She began. "From day one, I've been in shaky alliance after shaky alliance, with people turning on each other and too many monkey wrenches to count. I haven't played a perfect game, yet I outlasted everyone I aligned with because I worked my tail off to stay. To make it to the finale would be validation for all of that."

Kevin nodded, but didn't say anything.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"For Michael's sake as well as mine, I need to win. I've come so far and met so many friends, but it's not over yet. I'm desperate to make it into that final three."

* * *

"Ilyria?" Logan said.

Ilyria inhaled and exhaled before beginning. "Kevin," she said formally, "I have been nothing but loyal to you throughout this entire competition when I had no need to be. I stayed with you and voted with you throughout every shared elimination ceremony. I was completely honest with you, even when you weren't honest with me. I value you as an ally, but more importantly, as a friend. So… yeah," she finished awkwardly.

Once again, Kevin silently nodded.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I never expected I'd do so well when I first started playing this game, but now that I have a chance to make the finale, it's do or die for me."

* * *

"And finally, Luke," Logan prompted.

Luke leaned back and relaxed. "Here's the deal. You should pick me because taking both of the girls to the finale would be suicide for your game."

Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Ilyria's the strongest in challenges here. She's won immunity twice, and has come in the top three of almost every other immunity challenge we've had. And Ruby, well, everyone likes Ruby. If it's a jury vote, then who's going to pick you over her? I know I wouldn't. So basically, I'm going to be the easiest to beat. End of story."

Kevin stayed emotionless.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Do I believe I'll be easy to beat in the finale? Hell no. But as long as Kevin does, I should be good for the final three."

* * *

"Tell us when you've made your decision," Chris said to Kevin.

Kevin thought for a few moments. "I've decided."

"And who will it be?"

Kevin opened his mouth and said…

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"Ruby."

Ruby was shocked. "Me? Really? Why?"

Ilyria glared at Kevin. "Yes. Why."

"I was sitting there, and I decided upon something," Kevin explained. He turned to Luke. "You don't deserve to spend another second on this island, you snivelling backstabber."

He looked at Ilyria. "I'm sorry I didn't pick you. If it were anyone else but Luke, I would've. But getting rid of Luke is something that I feel you're more capable of doing than Ruby is. Rest assured, after you win this, we'll be the final two."

Ruby frowned.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Brought to the finale because I'm incapable of winning. It's bittersweet, of course, but I'm choosing to focus on the _sweet_ for now, because at least I made the finale!"

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Kevin finally sees me as the threat I've been all season. The timing isn't great, and of course I'm against the strongest competitor left, but maybe, just _maybe,_ I can pull the rabbit out of the hat."

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I understand Kevin's choice, but I don't respect it. It's an emotional decision, which I wasn't prepared for. However, I can do one-on-one like nobody's business. I wouldn't say my chances are great, but they're good."

* * *

"Very well," Chris nodded. "Congrats, Ruby, on being the second member of the final three! We're about to see who will join you. Logan, PREPARE THE TIEBREAKER!"

Logan nodded. "Luke, Ilyria, stand up."

They did so, and upon Logan's request stood on either side of the podium, facing each other.

"The tiebreaker is as such," Logan began. "I will ask you three questions about the number of votes certain contestants have received. The answers will be in multiple choice format; you can choose either A, B, C, or D. Only one person can choose a letter, so speed is as important as memory. Whoever gets more questions right will win the tiebreaker. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Ilyria stated.

"As I'll ever be," Luke agreed.

"Good. Question one: Of the four remaining contestants, who had the most votes against them? Is it A: Kevin, B: Ruby, C: Luke, or D: Ilyria?"

"D!" Ilyria shouted out quickly. "I've had too many votes to count."

"...C," Luke hesitantly said.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"I hope I'm right… but I remember telling Eugene how many votes I've gotten. I don't think that can be beat… unless the others got a whole lot of votes in the pre-merge."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Man. I haven't been paying attention to the votes at all. Unless I confidently feel like the answer is different, I think I'll just guess C. Normally, that works, right?"

* * *

"And the correct answer… D! Ilyria has the most votes against her with nine, followed by Kevin with three, Ruby with two, and Luke with only one."

"Luke's only had one vote?" Ruby asked Kevin.

Kevin shrugged. "By the time we realized how dangerous he was, he won immunity."

"Ilyria gets a point!" Logan said. Ilyria allowed herself to smile. "It's time for question two."

Luke and Ilyria stared each other down.

"Of the following contestants, who received the most votes against them on the night of their elimination?" Logan began. "Was it A: Nikki, B: Renee, C: Connor, or D: John?"

"C," Luke said as soon as Logan stopped talking.

"Hm…" Ilyria thought. "I'd have to say A."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Connor got a whole lot of votes, right? I can't exactly remember. No! Wait! We had the tiebreaker votes… I think I might have this one!"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"The merge was the biggest group of people we had, not to mention that extra votes were cast like crazy. It's Nikki."

* * *

"And the correct answer… C! Including the re-vote, Connor had seven votes cast against him the night he was eliminated. Nikki had six, John had four, and Renee had three."

"Phew!" Luke wiped his brow.

"Luke gets the point, and it's time for the final question. Are you ready?" Logan asked again.

They nodded.

"The final question: Of these four contestants, who received the least amount of votes against them, total? Is it A: Arianna, B: Ilyria, C: Connor, or D: Michael?" Logan finally asked.

Neither contestant answered immediately.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"That's a toughie. Y'see, Arianna definitely got more votes than any of the others, and we know from the other questions that Ilyria got more votes than Connor…"

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria

"...but neither of us were ever on the same team as Michael. I have no idea how many votes he got against himself in the teams portion."

* * *

"...C, Connor," Luke finally said.

"I guess I'm picking D, Michael," Ilyria sighed. She clenched her fists.

Logan nodded once the answers are confirmed. "There you have it. The fifteenth person eliminated from Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala is…"

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"Ilyria. I'm sorry, but the answer is C: Connor."

Ilyria sighed. "Great. I guess I should have seen this coming."

Kevin jumped up. "No! Crap! Ilyria, I'm-"

"It's all right," Ilyria shrugged. "We knew the risks."

"No, I'm sorry for not staying loyal to you," Kevin explained. "There was no reason for me to do so, and it damaged our friendship. Can we stay friends?"

"Friends?" Ilyria repeated. "...Yeah, I'd like that."

They quickly embraced.

Ilyria turned to Ruby. "Ruby, I apologize for alienating you after you voted out Addie. I took things too far."

"We're good," Ruby smiled.

"And Luke…" Ilyria faced a smirking Luke. "...I'm sorry for you."

"Wait, what?" Luke asked, confused. "You're-"

"Ilyria, the exit is that way," Chris pointed. "You've finished the game in fourth place."

Ilyria said nothing as she exited the clearing.

* * *

Final Confessional: Ilyria- 4th Place

"I lost the game, I lost my job… and yet, I'm happy. I've learned that there's more to life than work, work, work. It's a lesson I'll take with me wherever I go."

* * *

Chris faced the camera. "Well, with that, we have our final three:"

 **Kevin, The Resilient Writer**

 **Luke, The Traitorous Actor**

 **Ruby, The Underdog Companion**

"Who will take home the prize of one million dollars, and who will go home with nothing but a bucket of tears, sans bucket?" Chris asked.

"Find out on the season finale of…" Logan began.

"Total!" Chris said.

"Drama!" Logan added.

"The Curse of K'wala!" Everyone- including the contestants- said together.

* * *

 _Night 26_

* * *

Chris was relaxing in the producers' camp. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Hello? Who's this?" He asked groggily. "Sergeant Carpenter? What do you want?... Irresponsible?... _Jail?_ No, please! I have a show to run!" He pleaded, suddenly sounding desperate.

"...Yes, I'll do anything!" Chris begged. He listened, and suddenly he relaxed. "That's it? Yeah, I can do that in a heartbeat. Let me wait until after the finale, though... Okay. Bye."

He flipped the phone shut. "God, I hate cops."

* * *

 _The Votes:_

 _None_

* * *

 **So there you have it! With a drama filled episode (which was probably my favourite one to write thus far, I might add), Ilyria goes home! Congrats to Candela Monsoon, DinoKea, and Michaelfang9 for correctly predicting her placement. I won't ask y'all to do that for the finale, because you can vote on my poll for that.**

 **So... Ilyria. I don't think anyone who was reading from the start would've guessed Ilyria to make it as far as she did. There was a reason for that- after reading my… *shudders* old work, I realized I always eliminated the quote unquote 'weirder' people early. I specifically wanted to subvert that, and as such I found a character who old me would boot early and made her go to the merge, and then beyond after I realized her potential. Ilyria was a pretty likeable character I think, but it's the final three, and of the four potential finalists, she had both the least to offer and the least motivation to win, so rather than make her go into the finale with everyone knowing that she had no chance of winning, I dropped her here.**

 **With that, our final three have been announced! I think they were somewhat predictable, but I kept enough suspense that nobody really knew. At the very least, I don't think anyone predicted more than one of them at the beginning of the story. I'll go into more detail about them after the finale.**

 **4th- Ilyria- The Stern Secret Agent**

 **5th- Faith- The Friend-Seeking Strategist**

 **6th- Michael- The Depressed Stratbot**

 **7th- Arianna- The Toxic Ruthless**

 **8th- Addie- The Kleptomaniac**

 **9th- Nikki- The Small Shy Girl**

 **10th- Abigail- The Strong-Willed Leader**

 **11th- Spencer- The Silent Prop Master**

 **12th- Drew- The Seductive Con Man**

 **13th- Renee- The Annoying Reporter**

 **14th- Madeline- The Shattered Innocence**

 **15th- Connie- The Comedienne**

 **16th- Janson- The Manipulative Flirt**

 **17th- John- The Passionate Guitarist**

 **18th- Connor- The Unpleasant Hippie**

 **Takk skal du ha!**

* * *

 _PS- A poll exists on my profile where you can vote for who you think the winner should be! I have to admit, I'm having difficulty deciding who it should be, so your votes could seriously help! I'll display the results in the long AN after the finale._


	19. Ep16: The Race For First Place

**Some August hiatus, eh? Turns out there's not as much to do on vacation as I thought. This definitely speeds up production of the premiere of TDKI's rewrite. ;)**

 **I promised y'all two chapters, but since I couldn't figure out where to break the two parts up, I'm sticking y'all with a double-length finale. Hopefully it doesn't matter.**

 **Thank you for your reviews! I won't be answering them since I don't want to even risk spoiling something for you, so I'll just say that I'm happy that you guys stuck with me! Enjoy this!**

 **Eliminated Contestants:**

 **18th- Connor Johnson, The Unpleasant Hippie (Checkmate King)**

 **17th- John Crawford, The Passionate Guitarist (Mistress Mysterious)**

 **16th- Janson Marlick, The Manipulative Flirt (Candela Monsoon)**

 **15th- Connie Carlson, The Comedienne (ThorBringsTheThunder)**

 **14th- Madeline Harper, The Shattered Innocence (Candela Monsoon)**

 **13th- Renee Delaney, The Annoying Reporter (ThorBringsTheThunder's Brother)**

 **12th- Drew Hanson, The Seductive Con Man (Skyn1nja123)**

 **11th- Spencer Wills, The Silent Prop Master (Taylorfang9)**

 **10th- Abigail Lopez, The Strong-Willed Leader (GirlPower54)**

 **9th- Nikki Valentine, The Small Shy Girl (CreeperGav)**

 **8th- Addie Shinskin, The Kleptomaniac (Beastboycoolman15)**

 **7th- Arianna Rodriguez, The Toxic Ruthless (Omakin)**

 **6th- Michael Barton, The Depressed Stratbot (Totaldramafan04)**

 **5th- Faith Elmhurst, The Friend-Seeking Strategist (ThorBringTheThunder's Brother)**

 **4th- Ilyria Song, The Secret Agent (Mistress Mysterious)**

 **Remaining Contestants:**

 **?- Kevin Robinson, The Resilient Writer (GirlPower54)**

 **?- Luke Cicero, The Traitorous Actor (Skyn1nja123)**

 **?- Ruby Carpenter, The Underdog Companion (Taylorfang9)**

"This season, on Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala," Chris McLean's voice narrated from offscreen as several shots of the archipelago were shown. "Eighteen new contestants debuted for a season like no other. Facing all new island-style challenges and the game-hindering Curse of K'wala, it was clear that this season was the toughest yet.

"Fifteen hopefuls have since been eliminated," Chris said as the scene shifted to a montage of the eliminated contestants leaving Verloor Island- first Connor, then John, and so on. "Leaving only three contenders.

"First, there's Kevin, the autistic writer. At first, despite having the potential to be a true power player in the game, he opted to keep to himself most of the time, refraining from friendships and alliances. As the game progressed, however, he slowly became more social and making strategic moves, including a dominant majority alliance in the merge," as Chris spoke about these moments, they flashed across the screen. "Everything was looking up until his closest friend and ally, Nikki, was eliminated. Suddenly he lashed out at his already shaky alliance, becoming more bitter and strategic, never fully trusting anyone again. Despite appearing to be a strategist, Kevin had to deal with vote after vote that didn't go his way- in fact, nobody he voted for during the merge went home the same night. However it was through smart deals that kept the target off of him that Kevin was able to make it to the final four, where a key immunity win secured his spot in the finale. Will his cunning moves pay off? Or will he go down just like his alliance? We'll soon see.

"Then, there's Luke, the two-faced actor. He came into the game with a smile and a spring in his step, initially seeming happy-go-lucky, if naive, but not a huge threat. But when the teams swapped he began to show his true colours," Chris narrated. Once again, a series of images and scenes correlating to his words were shown. "First he betrayed his closest friend, Connie. Then he betrayed his closest ally, Renee. After it was made clear that he was on the bottom of his team, he attempted to manipulate his teammates for their votes, yet it didn't work. However, the merge breathed new life into Luke. He rejoined with a minority alliance he had hastily formed during a challenge, and though he was on the bottom, he had no plans of staying that way. He betrayed three more supposed allies- Arianna, Michael, and Faith- one after another, all while flying under the radar. His strategy of backstab after backstab, coupled with key immunity wins, has brought him to the finale with only one vote against him. Will his streak of near-untouchability continue all the way to number one? Or will the ghosts of his betrayed allies drag him down? We'll find out.

"Finally, there's Ruby, the meek athlete. She began the game with little confidence and she wasn't prepared to make it far. However, her natural ability to make friends aided her early on, as she made it through the merge without a single vote against her," A third montage, showing all of these moments and scenes, played as Chris spoke. "Along the way, she befriended Michael, and after she later learned had an extremely serious reason to win, she vowed to stick with him for the rest of the game. Come the merge, Ruby was so likeable that she was roped into two separate alliances, but neglected to set things straight. Thus, when she stuck with Michael's alliance, she made a large group of people angry, only avoiding elimination due to the unplanned blindside of another competitor. Unfortunately, Michael was eliminated after a betrayal by Luke, leaving Ruby to carry on his legacy. Her amiability paid off yet again when Kevin chose her to join him in the finale. Will Ruby be able to triumph over adversity and win for her friend's sake? Or will the competition prove to much for her? We'll know soon enough.

"After a season full of betrayals, heartbreak, and, of course, drama, only one question remains in everyone's minds: Who will emerge victorious and take home the one-million dollar prize? Find out right now on…

Total!

Drama!

The Curse of K'wala!"

 **Theme: I Wanna Be Famous (2007)**

 _-Opening Music-_

The theme begins with a wide-angle shot of the K'wala Islands, with each of the islands shown respectively. The camera quickly zooms in and rushes past Chris and Logan. Logan rolls his eyes as Chris gives the camera his signature double finger-pistols. Then, the shot moves into the forest.

 _-Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine-_

The forest gives way to a small clearing, where John sits on a stump, playing his guitar. Suddenly, Renee rushes into the clearing and puts a reporter's microphone in his face.

 _-You guys are on my mind-_

The two start arguing, but stop as a figure falls to the ground from the trees, smashing John's guitar and sending the three tumbling to the ground. The figure stands up to reveal himself to be a sheepish Luke.

 _-You asked me what I wanted to be, and now I think the answer is plain to see-_

The camera zooms behind the trio and to Lake Gellafiche, where Faith and Kevin are on a raft, fishing. The two glance at each other and blush before looking away again. Then, Arianna and Drew's raft comes into view and collides with the other one, sending Kevin and Faith into the water while the villains laugh.

 _-I wanna be famous-_

The camera moves up to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where Nikki is quietly reading a book. Spencer then walks on-screen, and when Nikki looks up, she screams and falls off the cliff and into the water below, while Spencer shrugs at the camera.

 _-I wanna live close to the Sun-_

The scene follows Nikki down the cliff, and then past her, to the land below, where Ilyria speaks to her watch. Nikki makes a large splash in the water, which soaks Ilyria, and her watch goes flying (glinting in the sunlight in synchrony to the chime in the song).

 _-So pack your bags, 'cause I've already won-_

The watch falls at a nearby Addie's feet. He crouches to pick it up but cannot, since at that precise moment Janson barrels into him, followed by an angry Abigail.

 _-Everything to prove, nothing in my way-_

A large dust cloud arises, and when it disperses, the scene has changed. Now, Michael sits glumly on a stump. Connie comes along, sees him, and tries to crack a joke, but Michael stands up and walks away.

 _-I'll get there one day-_

The scene changes again. Now, Ruby and Madeline are talking and giggling. A giant bird swoops in, and Ruby runs away, screaming, while Madeline tries following her in vain.

 _-'Cause I wanna be famous-_

The camera follows the humongous bird's path, and it eventually lands beside Connor, who is meditating on a log. Connor peeps an eye open and is shocked at what he sees. He nervously tries giving the bird a 'peace' sign, but the bird starts to chase him.

 _-Na na nana nana, na nana nana na, na nana nana na!-_

All eighteen contestants are now in the K'wala Caves, running away from a colony of bats. Notably, Nikki trips and falls and Addie helps her up, Luke pirouettes away, and Michael walks at a slow pace as the bats engulf him.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

At each of the 'I wanna be's, three players are shown. First, it's an angry Abigail yelling at a nervous Janson while Madeline looks back and forth to both of them. Then, it's Nikki hiding behind John from Spencer. Third, it's Ruby in the middle looking at both Faith and Kevin expectantly, waiting for them to make a move.

 _-I wanna be! I wanna be! I wanna be famous!-_

Fourth, it's Arianna and Drew making out as Renee tries to shove a microphone in their faces. Fifth, it's Connie and Luke fake singing along to the song with exaggerated movements while Michael slumps over. Finally, it's Addie and Ilyria both glaring at Connor, who shrugs and smirks.

 _-Doo doodoo doo doodoo…-_

Finally, all of the players are whistling around the Verloor Island Campfire. Madeline and Janson lean in for a kiss, but Abigail comes out of nowhere and tackles the gentleman.

 _-End of Theme-_

* * *

 _Night 26_

* * *

As the final three returned from Mount Tarapyn, where Ilyria had recently been eliminated. Everyone was tired, and, not wanting to talk to each other, headed to bed.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Ilyria's elimination was rough. I genuinely wanted her to come to the finale with me, but the risk that I took in putting her into the tiebreaker to eliminate Luke didn't pay off. Now I'm going into the finale without anyone who I even moderately trust."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Ilyria and I never saw eye to eye on a lot of things, especially after I took down Addie back in the final eight, but she seemed like a good person. It's a shame that she went home and Luke stayed, but I'll take it as it comes."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

He leans back, clearly relaxed. "Meh, she was the biggest challenge threat anyway. I'm not losing any sleep especially since it means that I- er, I mean Papa Lukey- has a better chance of winning." He catches himself frowning, but puts on a confident smile.

* * *

 _Day 27_

* * *

The scene was a quiet one. Ruby was attempting to cook an egg over the fire, with marginal success. Kevin was doodling in his journal contentedly, and Luke was lying on the ground, staring into the sky.

"Good morning, contestants!" Beck announced his presence by strolling into camp. "And congratulations on making it into the final three!"

"Thanks," Ruby said quietly. Kevin gave a small smile. Luke merely turned his head to face him, making no motion to get up.

* * *

Confessional: Beck

"So after careful consideration, the producers let me off with a warning. I'm not getting banned that easily, not when I have a bet to win. I don't know if they've already told you, but I've got a steak dinner at _Carnoso Clyde's_ riding on Ruby winning the game. Logan's betting on Luke, and Chris on Kevin. Samantha was rooting for Ilyria, but she was eliminated. Sure, maybe it's a little immoral, but it's just some harmless fun, right? No harm, no foul."

* * *

"Well, enjoy your last free day before the final challenge," Beck said. "Oh, and one more thing."

He fished out three clipboards and tossed them to each of the competitors. "There are a few questions we want you to answer in the confessional. You can write down your answers if you want to prepare for it. Take all the time you want, because we can just splice them together in editing later."

He started to walk away. "Be proud of yourselves! Think of all the people you've outlasted. Anyway, I have to run."

He left.

"So does anyone want to go first, or…?" Ruby let the question trail off.

"Doesn't matter," Luke grunted.

"I'll go first. I had an idea they'd do this and prepared some answers," Kevin gestured to his notebook. He stood up and made for the confessional.

* * *

 ** _Question #1: How does it feel knowing you're in the finale?_**

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"It feels incredible, but also extremely unnerving. I'm facing two tough opponents, both of whom are stronger physically than me. I can only hope my intelligence helps me prevail in the final challenge."

 _Luke:_

"It feels great. I'm ready to prove my mother wrong and show her that I can do something with my life. Maybe it's just adrenaline, but I'm more pumped than ever."

 _Ruby:_

"Honestly? Surprising. But I'm grateful at the same time, because it took a lot of luck and some deserving people went home instead of me. I'm also a little nervous, because me winning the money is the difference between Michael living or dying."

* * *

 ** _Question #2: At the beginning of the game, did you expect to make it this far?_**

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"No. I expected to go moderately far, but I was aware that a strategic threat like myself would be targeted eventually, even more so due to my solitary nature. Had I not decided to reach out and form that initial alliance with Abigail and Nikki, I'd most likely have gone home after the team swap."

 _Luke:_

"I knew I had a solid strategy going in, but in Total Drama you can't be one hundred percent confident, or else you're practically sending yourself home. So I kept a healthy level of worry, also being aware that I had the potential to make it as far as I have."

 _Ruby:_

"Not in a million years! I went into the game hoping that someone more strategy-minded would take charge and I wouldn't have to worry about who to vote for. Luckily, that's what happened. However, after Michael went home, it was through an independent effort that I stayed."

* * *

 ** _Question #3: What do you think about your opponents in the finale?_**

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"Ruby's a nice person. I blamed her too much for sending Nikki and Addie home, I think, since she actually ended up not being as cruel and manipulative as I thought. Luke, on the other hand… I'm done underestimating him. He's selfish and unkind, and it would be a travesty if he ended up winning."

 _Luke:_

"Kevin is a stodgy, inflexible douche-hole, if I'm being entirely honest. He has some steel in him, but for the most part he's unbearable. Ruby's a low-key strategic threat who's likeable and good in challenges, so I have to give her credit for making it this far."

 _Ruby:_

"Luke's kind of two-faced. He acts really nice and then will send your closest allies home one after another, and he's not even sorry! Kevin's an honest person, and I can admire that. He's a tad rude and blunt at times, though."

* * *

 _ **Question #4: What was your favourite and least favourite moment of the game?**_

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"My favourite moment was taking down Morgan's bodyguard in the caves. It was then that I realized that I'm kind of… cool-ish? My least favourite was later that night, when Nikki got voted out. That made me feel like crap, especially since I could've suggested her using her advantage and she'd be safe."

 _Luke:_

"I think blindsiding Arianna… well, that felt good. No one saw it coming and… Yeah. My least favourite moment was when I was forced to vote out Faith so that my mother wouldn't think I had any allies, which was later negated after I told her that I had had allies. Not a good day."

 _Ruby:_

"My favourite moment was winning immunity in the final six challenge, since I knew that everyone was targeting me. Then Michael got eliminated instead… that was my least favourite."

* * *

 ** _Question #5: What was your favourite and least favourite challenge this season?_**

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"I enjoyed the first challenge we did, involving solving the puzzle and racing to a clearing. I enjoyed taking charge of the team, and it was great to be validated by a win. My least favourite challenge was definitely when we had to decorate those mannequins, because I fell into a giant pit. Not my best day."

 _Luke:_

"Oh, I loved the challenge where we got to hang around on that cargo net! I came back later that night just to chill out. It was cool. I wasn't a fan of the tag-team running challenge we just did, mostly because I had to work with my mother."

 _Ruby:_

"Even though we lost, the curling challenge way back was my favourite. It was nice to be in my element. My least… probably yesterday's running challenge. I had to run for two-straight hours, and it was all for nothing since we lost. I'm still sore."

* * *

 ** _Question #6: If you could choose two different contestants to be facing in the finale, who would you choose?_**

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"Ilyria deserves to be in the finale after I let her take the hit in the tiebreaker, so her. And Nikki was my closest friend this season, so I'd also bring her in."

 _Luke:_

"Hmm… I think I'd want to go against people I can easily beat. So maybe… that hippie guy, Connor, I think? And Madeline. If what Ruby said is true, she'd be in no condition to compete."

 _Ruby:_

"Michael, obviously. He not only deserves to be in the finale but to win, after all he's been through. And Faith was a good friend. I'd pick her as well."

* * *

 ** _Question #7: What would you do with the money if you win?_**

* * *

 _Kevin:_

"First, I'd make sure me, my mom, and my cousin were stable financially. Afterward… I might go to Iceland. It's a nice place, and it's really easy for a writer to get published there."

 _Luke:_

"I don't want to sound cliche, but I don't really care about the money. My mother's an actress. We're already set for life. So I'd probably donate some of the cash to the homeless, or a hospital, or the like."

 _Ruby:_

"I'd give it to Michael, for sure. First for getting proper medical treatment, and then to find a home. Maybe he could move in with Pearl and I. I don't know."

* * *

 _Night 27_

* * *

It was a beautiful night. The only light was provided by the campfire, so it was easy to see the moon and the stars.

Kevin and Ruby were sitting around the campfire, having a chat.

"Isn't it crazy how we made it this far?" Ruby asked.

"Indeed," Kevin agreed. "I'd never have imagined being in the finale of Total Drama a year ago, or even a month ago. I must have done something right."

Ruby chuckled. "I know. Same thing here. After all that work, and now it's just us and… Luke."

Kevin visibly darkened at the mention of his name. "I wish he had gone home yesterday. Heck, I wish he had gone home first. I don't want to deal with him for any longer."

"Hm," Ruby said simply, unsure of where this was going.

"So…" Kevin glanced around. "Do you want to team up in the finale and take down Luke? We could do it. Then the finale would be a real competition between honourable adversaries. How about it?" He reached out his hand for a handshake.

"I…" Ruby looked at his head. She shook her head. "Look, Kevin. You're a good person and all, but I can't just… gang up on someone. It's not a voting game any more. If we did that… how would we be any better than Luke?"

Kevin looked visibly taken aback. "Oh. I think you're making a mistake, but it's your choice." He stood up. "I'll leave now."

He quickly strode off.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I admire Ruby for sticking to her morals. However, I believe she's making a large mistake her. Sometimes you have to play dirty to get rid of the bad guy. Surely she realizes this by now."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I declined Kevin's offer because… honestly, I'm not sure I could beat him one-on-one in the finale. Sure, I can run a little faster, but he's smart and, if the last challenge was any indication, he just doesn't give up. I'm hoping Luke and Kevin are so focused on taking out each other that they forget about me."

* * *

As Kevin exited the area, he bumped into Luke. Quite literally, in fact, as it was night.

"Luke," Kevin said simply.

"Kevin," Luke replied in like fashion.

"I suppose you're excited to have squeaked by in the tiebreaker," Kevin stepped to the left.

Luke stepped to his left. "And I suppose you're excited to have the chance to beat me, once and for all, in the final challenge."

"That I am," Kevin once more stepped to the left, so that he was perpendicular to his original route.

"Likewise," Luke agreed, also taking another step so the boys were now facing each other. "However, I'm afraid that just won't happen." He boldly took another step.

Kevin instantly moved to the side to catch up. "Oh? That's a bold statement. What makes you so sure about that?"

"Simple," Luke moved yet again, so that he was now facing the opposite way he had been at the start of the interaction. "I'll be giving everything I have. You haven't yet seen me at my best. But you will."

Kevin matched Luke's movement. "I'll believe it when I see it. Good luck. You'll need it."

Both boys turned around and walked away.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"It's the final battle. I'm pulling out all the stops for the next challenge, and nobody, Kevin, Ruby, or otherwise, is stopping me."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"It's certainly tense around here. Though to be fair, we're only one challenge away from winning or losing one million dollars. Can you blame me for being on-edge?"

* * *

Luke entered the clearing where Kevin and Ruby had been talking before. Ruby still sat there, tending to the fire.

Ruby looked up. "I'm not accepting a final two deal to take out Kevin, before you ask."

"Wasn't planning on it," Luke winked. "However, the fact that you felt compelled to notify me about that makes me wonder. Did Kevin offer to help you take me out? And you didn't accept? Interesting."

Ruby was surprised. "You pulled all that from one statement, huh?"

Luke shrugged. "When your mother's an actress, you have to learn to look further than the verbal meaning of words."

Ruby bit her lower lip. "I wanted to talk to you about that… what's the deal with you and your mom?"

Luke looked like he was about to say something. "My mother is… a narcissist. She values herself more than all others. She's so wrapped up in her own ego that she tried to force me to be just like her. An actor. Independent. I'm not a huge fan of that, that's all."

Ruby sighed. "Luke, are you sure that's true? I mean, she did seem somewhat stuck-up, but not to the point that you're thinking of."

Luke glared at her. "Ruby, I've spent my entire life around her. I know my mother better than anyone else."

"I'm just saying maybe you're not giving her any slack-"

"I've given her enough slack!" Luke snapped. Then he realized something, and gave a wry smile. "Oh, I see what's happening."

Ruby was confused. "What?"

"You're trying to psych me out, aren't you!" Luke declared. He laughed. "Gee, I never took you for the manipulative type."

"Luke, I-"

"Not listening," Luke stood up. "I refuse to get thrown off my game this late in the competition, no sirree."

He stomped off.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I'm concerned for Luke. He sees his mother as a villain, and it's clearly affecting him negatively. It's… hard to watch someone like that, even when it's an opponent."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"...Maybe I overreacted. But I'm not letting anything intimidate me, not even the mention of… her."

* * *

 _Day 28- The Finale_

* * *

 _ **Challenge Location: K'wala Dock**_

The final three entered, one by one, onto the dock.

"Hey, look, logos," Luke pointed out. There were three circular mats laid out on the dock, each representing one of the finalists.

Kevin's mat was a forest green with gold trim. The word _KEVIN_ was displayed across the front in bold white letters. The entire mat was decorated with what appeared to be quill pens and ink bottles. Upon further examination, it was revealed that a thin golden trail originated from each of the quills.

Luke's mat was a royal blue with cyan spots randomly dispersed across the entire backdrop. The word _LUKE_ proudly sat in the center, surrounded by the twin masks commonly associated with acting. Snakes, coloured navy blue, twisted between the eye and mouth holes of the masks.

Ruby's mat was a lavender coloured one, with splotches of deep purple placed near the border. The word _RUBY_ stood out amongst all the colour. Yellow hearts and yellow curling rocks alternated in a spiral pattern, beginning at the edge of the mat and slowly closing their way in.

"I think we're supposed to stand on these," Ruby said. She looked around and saw Kevin and Luke already doing so. "...Right."

Once she had done so, Chris walked down the dock. He put his hands on his hips and faced them with a smile. "Well, it's time. The final challenge. Are you guys excited?"

"Yeah!" Luke cheered.

"Yep," Ruby agreed with a nod and a smile.

"Moderately so," Kevin replied.

"Well, let's get down to business," Chris rubbed his hands together. "This challenge is so grand, so incredible, that we felt compelled to share it with some special guests."

He gestured behind him. "Please welcome back the fifteen eliminated contestants!"

One by one, the season's players filed in. The first thing that caught the finalists' eyes were that each one of them wore a basketball-styled jersey with one of the contestants' names on it. This was further demonstrated as each eliminated competitor stood in front of the finalist whose jersey they wore.

Four contestants wore royal blue _TEAM_ _LUKE_ jerseys: Connor, Janson, Spencer, and Arianna.

Five contestants wore forest green _TEAM_ _KEVIN_ jerseys: Connie, Madeline, Nikki, Addie, and Ilyria.

Six contestants wore lavender _TEAM RUBY_ jerseys: John, Renee, Drew, Abigail, Michael, and Faith.

"These will be your supporters for the challenge!" Chris said. "They won't be able to help you, but at least you'll know who's rooting for each of you."

* * *

Confessional: Janson- 16th Place

"Yeah, I'm cheering for Luke. Call me a villain and whatever. I just admire that he played with guts, instead of calling it in and playing it safe."

* * *

Confessional: Drew- 12th Place

"My options are pretty lame. I ain't goin' to cheer for pole-up-his-butt Kevin, and I definitely ain't goin' to cheer for Leeroy Cicero, so Ruby it is. Plus, she's cute and I think she's single. Good combo."

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- 11th Place

"I'm pretty neutral on this, actually. But I know that Luke's been playing the riskiest game, and I figured he wouldn't have as many supporters as the other two, so I'm team Luke."

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- 9th Place

"I don't think anyone's surprised that I'm cheering for Kevin… he's my closest friend and I'm proud of him for making it as far as he did…"

* * *

Confessional: Addie- 8th Place

"Kevin can be a bit much to handle at times, but I'm sticking with him because he genuinely wanted to see his alliance succeed. That's loyalty for you."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- 5th Place

"It was a bit of a toss-up between Ruby and Kevin for me, but Ruby's been my friend since day one, and I'd love to see her win, so Ruby it is."

* * *

"There you have it," Chris said. He clapped twice, and the supporters started to file out.

"What," Kevin scoffed. "They're going already?"

"They'll be taken to the last destination of the challenge, where they'll be watching you three on TVs," Chris explained. "No point making them wait here if you guys are going somewhere else."

"Makes sense," Kevin shrugged as the last of the contestants filed out.

"Now, let's get to the challenge!" Chris smirked.

The contestants looked at each other nervously, not ready to believe that the money had become.

"The challenge will operate as such," Chris explained. "You three will be racing in an obstacle course based on six previous challenges this season. After completing the first challenge, you'll be given directions to the next one, and so on. The first person to complete the final challenge and arrive at the last destination will win one million dollars and the title of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala. Capeesh?"

"Capeesh!" They all exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Well, are you three ready?" Chris asked, already knowing the answer. Three cheers confirmed it.

"Your first destination is atop Mount Tarapyn," Chris said. He raised his arm.

"Go!" He shouted.

Kevin, Luke, and Ruby took off, each running quickly. Ruby had taken an early lead, though Luke and Kevin were paces behind.

Chris watched them run off into the distance. "You'd better win this sucker, Kevin. I have a steak dinner at risk, and I sure don't like losing."

* * *

Confessional: Chris

"Is this bet a little immature? Maybe. But who doesn't like steak? Except for Bridgette. And Dawn. And… man, we sure do get a lot of vegetarians on this show."

* * *

Ruby was the first to make it to the top of Mount Tarapyn, where the first obstacle awaited her… as well as a familiar face.

"Hey," Irish said disinterestedly.

Ruby looked confused. "Didn't you quit?"

"Chris needed some hands to help with the challenge, so I decided to help him out of the goodness of my heart," Irish droned.

Ruby still looked confused.

"He's paying me," Irish translated.

"Ah," Ruby said with realization. "Um… what's the challenge?"

Irish gestured behind her. "Behind me, there's a cliff. Your job is to bungee jump down that cliff and collect three sandbags of your colour. Once you do that, I'll tell you where you have to go next."

Ruby nodded. "Got it."

"Go get 'em, tiger," Irish pumped her fist with no enthusiasm whatsoever. Ruby ran over and began to put on her harness, with the help of one of those interns who aren't really relevant to the story but are there when you need them.

Luke arrived. "Hey, Irene!"

"Irish," Irish corrected flatly. "For this challenge you- Where are you going?"

Luke was already harnessing up. "Well, it seems pretty obvious, right? Collect sandbags."

Irish clenched her fist. "You're not… wrong."

"Awesome," Luke winked.

Ruby jumped from beside him. "This is awesoooooome!" She shouted as she fell. A few seconds passed but she came up empty-handed.

"Am I good?" Luke asked the intern suiting him up. They checked Luke's harness before nodding their head. Luke jumped.

"For Narniaaaaaaaaa!" He shouted.

He also came up without a sandbag. "Dang. Let's go again!"

The intern shook their head. "I have to check your harness again, make sure it's not loose so you don't, you know, die."

"Ah," Luke nodded.

Kevin, gasping, appeared at the top of the mountain. "God… I'm out… of shape…"

Irish strolled up to him. "Welcome. Behind-"

"Just give me a second," Kevin leaned over with his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath.

A solid thirty seconds passed, during which both Ruby and Luke jumped again.

"Aha!" Luke grinned as he came up with a sandbag between his fingers.

Ruby grunted in irritation, having yet to collect a sandbag.

"Okay, I'm good," Kevin nodded. Irish quickly relayed the instructions, and he went over to his station to harness up.

A few seconds later, the writer jumped. He said nothing as he went down, and nothing as he snatched a sandbag off the platform on which it rested.

He just as quickly dropped the sandbag beside him and made ready to jump again.

"Uh oh…" Ruby looked at her adversaries, whom she was now trailing.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I can tell that this is going to be an endurance challenge. Six obstacles aren't going to be easy, and I'll have to work harder than I ever have just to stay in the running."

* * *

"I still can't believe had to walk to the dock only to come right back here," Michael grumbled. "That's illogical."

The view zoomed out to show the fifteen eliminated contestants reentering the motel on Oord Island, where they had been staying since they were eliminated.

John, whom he was talking to, frowned. "Yeah, I guess. It's a nice walk though."

Michael shook his head. "Of course. It's the finale, with one million dollars one the line, and you're admiring the walk."

"It's the little things though, you know?" John nudged Michael. "The birds, the greenery. It's not like we're going to be here much longer."

"I know," Michael said hauntingly.

John noticed his expression and frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"

He wouldn't get an answer, because at that moment Connie strolled over and stood between the two of them, wrapping an arm around each of them. "John! Michael! What's up, dudes?"

"Just chatting," John grinned. He and Connie performed a complicated handshake, involving fist bumps and high fives galore. Then, Connie and Michael exchanged a simple fist bump.

"So you guys are cheering for Ruby, eh?" Connie gestured to the lavender jerseys which both boys wore. "Nice. Of course, it's going to be a shame when you get disappointed."

"You really believe in Kevin," John noted, gesturing to Connie's green jersey.

"Dude's smart," Connie smiled. "If they do a mental challenge, he's going to kick butt like an annoyed donkey at a lower-body mannequin factory."

"Some metaphor," Michael muttered.

"Not all jokes work," Connie shrugged. "It's part of the gig. Can't win them all, you know?"

Michael just looked at his feet.

John looked at him again. "Seriously, man. You're acting kind of funky. Is something up? You know you can tell us anything."

Michael looked to the two of them. "Nothing. It's… the pressure's pretty high, even if I'm not competing. It's a tad stressful."

"Mm. I can relate," Connie agreed. "It's like how I can't watch singing shows. Oh, hey!" She was staring at a room which most contestants were walking over to. "Looks like they're setting up a TV in the game room for us to watch the challenge! Let's go!"

"Awesome," John grinned as he and Michael followed her into the game room.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- 6th Place

"After I got eliminated, John and Connie let me in their friend group. It's actually pretty… enjoyable. But right now, I'm incredibly stressed out. The whole 'Ruby's win is the difference between living and dying' thing, you know how it is."

* * *

Confessional: John- 17th Place

"You know, even if I was just the second boot, it was really incredible to play the game. I met some really neat people and I doubt I'll ever forget this experience."

* * *

Confessional: Connie- 15th Place

She's writing on a notepad. "Note to self: reduce wordiness of donkey metaphor."

* * *

Back on Mount Tarapyn, the challenge was continuing. Luke and Ruby had each added one sandbag to their total- this meant that Luke was currently leading with two, with Ruby and Kevin right behind with one.

"Ugh," Kevin groaned. He had just finished an unsuccessful jump and was looking green in the face. "I'm not feeling so well."

He forced himself not to throw up by breathing heavily and walking in a circle.

Ruby looked at him with sympathy, but when her intern nodded that she could go again, she jumped.

"Yes!" She cheered as she snatched a sandbag off the platform. It was all she could get out before the rope went taut and snapped her back up.

"Am I supposed to narrate?" Irish asked no one in particular. "Ruby gets her second sandbag. Hooray," she said boredly. "Who will complete the obstacle first? I'm sitting on the edge of my seat."

"Female Noah much?" Kevin griped.

"Male…" Irish frowned. "Okay, you got me there."

Luke, meanwhile, jumped. "Wisconsiiiiin!"

Determined, he reached out for the platform holding the finale sandbag, and grabbed it masterfully.

"Ha!" He barked as he was pulled back up by the rope.

"Luke gets his third sandbag. Huzzah," Irish said. As Luke trotted over, she dropped her voice. "Proceed to the eastern border of the K'wala Forest for your next challenge."

"Sounds good! Bye, Irene!" Luke waved.

"It's…" Irish clenched her fists once again. "Ugh!"

Kevin looked up; he was still looking nauseous. "Oh, Luke finished?"

He and Ruby jumped at the same time. Ruby came up with her third and final sandbag, while Kevin came up vomiting.

"That's gross," Irish cringed. Then she saw Ruby. "Done? Go to the east edge of K'wala Forest."

"Good luck. Kevin!" Ruby shouted as Kevin sat on the ground, massaging his temples.

Kevin vomited again.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I have a weak stomach, all right? Because of that, now I'm two sandbags down. Things are not looking up." He sighs.

* * *

"So, it's getting intense, huh?" Arianna elbowed Spencer. Both of them were wearing blue jerseys symbolizing their affiliation with Luke.

Spencer said nothing, but stared at her blankly. Of note was the fact that he was dressed normally (or as normal as one can be with a man bun).

"Come on, Spencer," Arianna pleaded. "You haven't spoken with me since I arrived."

Spencer was quiet.

"You can't stay silent forever," Arianna said.

Spencer glared at her.

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" Arianna asked angrily. "I never voted for you, we established that! Faith admitted that it was her! So why are you mad?"

"If you c-can't figure out why I'm mad," Spencer said flatly. "Then you don't deserve to be spoken to."

Arianna was at first surprised that he spoke, but then baffled with his words. "What?"

Spencer stood up and walked away.

"Ugh!" Arianna slammed her first down on the couch.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- 11th Place

"From what I've pieced t-together from all the mergers' accounts, Arianna acted like a t-total {CENSORED} after I was eliminated. I thought she was trying to be n-nice, but she just got worse and worse! And she acts like it n-never happened! So yeah, I'm ticked off."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- 7th Place

"I wish Spencer would just tell me what's wrong! He's being downright unreasonable. You don't get mad at someone and not tell them why!"

* * *

Luke was the first to arrive at the forest. There, a familiar setup awaited him- one long metal sheet with wooden borders around the edge, a makeshift curling sheet. One red and one yellow rock stood on the sheet.

"Ah, so we coylin' den?" Luke asked in a bad Bostonian accent.

"Yes, you are," Gabriel materialized. He gestured to the rink. "For this challenge, two competitors will throw one curling rock down the length of the rink. Whoever gets their rock closed to the button- the center of the target- may continue. The other one must wait until the next person arrives to go again."

"Hm. Look like winning could give you a significant advantage if the third person is slow," Luke noticed.

"Yep," Gabriel agreed. "Since you got here first, you get to choose your colour of rock."

"...Red," Luke said after a moment's hesitation.

"Okay," Gabriel agreed. "Now you just wait until the next person arrives."

"I hope it's Kevin," Luke said. "Ruby's great at curling."

Unfortunately for him, at that moment Ruby appeared. Her eyes lit up when she saw the challenge ahead of her.

"Curling!" She pumped her fist.

Gabriel quickly relayed the instructions. "Luke arrived first, so you'll be throwing first. With yellow."

"So can I knock her rock away on my throw?" Questioned Luke as Ruby got into position.

"Yes," Gabriel agreed. "That's a benefit of arriving first."

Ruby threw her rock. It was a near-perfect shot, landing slightly to the right of the button.

"Phew!" She sighed with relief. Then she waited as Luke got ready to throw.

"Right down the middle," he repeated. "Right down the middle. Right down the HI-YAH!"

He hurled the rock with what he thought was the proper amount of force, but in reality was much too much. His aim, however, wasn't true, so his rock sailed into the backboard without touching Ruby's.

"Looks like Ruby gets the win," Gabriel smiled. "Good job! Luke, you'll have to wait until Kevin arrives."

Luke glared at Ruby, but she didn't notice as she jogged over to Gabriel to receive her next location.

"Proceed to the K'wala Caves for your third challenge," Gabriel said quietly so Luke wouldn't hear. Ruby nodded and jogged away.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Lost my lead, and now I have to wait for Kevin to arrive. Why do I always mess things up with my antics?" He slams his fist on the side of the wall.

* * *

Ilyria was focusing on the television screen intently. "Luke always messes things up with his antics."

She looked around before realizing, embarrassed, that she was talking to nobody.

"I guess I'm talking to myself," she shrugged.

"Not anymore," Addie appeared right behind her. Ilyria flinched so violently that she punched him in the face.

"Don't do that!" She scolded him. "You scared me."

"Okay, first, ow," Addie moaned. "Second, how's it going, I guess?"

"Sorry," Ilyria sighed. "I'm on edge."

"Why? Because you were eliminated just before the finale? Because you're worried for Kevin? Because by helping take down Morgan you put your entire HAP career at risk?"

"Shh!" Ilyria punched him again, this time in the gut. "I never should have told you that."

"I'm going to have bruises on my bruises," Addie rubbed the spot where Ilyria had socked him. "We've got to work on channeling your emotion in a different way."

"Yeah, well, I'm just trying to enjoy my last few days as an agent. And bringing it up isn't helping," Ilyria sighed heavily.

"Have you, you know, opened the letter yet?" Addie wondered aloud.

"Do I need to? My career is as good as over," Ilyria laid back on the couch. "I'll have to forfeit everything- friends, gadgets- and I'll have to choose between getting a memory-wipe and starting an entirely new life and never seeing my old family again."

"That's kind of harsh," Addie agreed. "But how do you know you got fired if you don't open the letter?"

"I'm not stupid, Addie," Ilyria said. "People have been kicked out of the HAP for much less."

"Still, you can't really know, right?" Addie motioned to her coat pocket, where the letter resided.

"You're being ridiculous," Ilyria said.

Addie was persistent. "But I think we should-"

"No, Addie," Ilyria snapped. "I refuse to open that letter until I absolutely must."

"Fine," Addie pouted.

Ilyria couldn't help but smile at his fake-pleading expression.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- 4th Place

"I appreciate Addie trying to cheer me up. He's such a great boyfriend."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- 8th Place

He's now palming the letter. "Yeah, I couldn't wait. Sue me." He grins and opens the letter, but before a reaction can be seen, the footage ends.

* * *

"Kevin's coming," Gabriel noted. Kevin stumbled through the forest, looking disoriented but much less nauseous than before.

"Hey, Gabriel," Kevin groaned. "What's up?"

Gabriel quickly told him the challenge. "Luke, I assume you'll stick with red?"

"Yep," Luke agreed.

"Kevin, you're up first," Gabriel said to Kevin. He nodded and prepared to throw.

"PSYCH!" Luke shouted just as Kevin threw his rock. Kevin flinched and his rock slid in a different direction. It was by some miracle that it didn't land outside the perimeter of the rink, but even so, his rock landed at the very edge of the target, barely in play.

"Screw you, Luke," Kevin griped as Luke snickered at his misfortune.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," Luke slid back to throw the rock.

"Is that your mother?" Kevin asked offhandedly as Luke threw. Luke snapped his head to the side but didn't put enough effort into his throw; as a result, the rock only slid about halfway down the sheet.

"Kevin wins!" Gabriel stated.

"Seriously? You had to bring my mother into this?" Luke glared at him.

"Don't hate the-"

"Shut the hell up," Luke interrupted him. "Don't you have a challenge to lose?"

Kevin smirked and walked over to Gabriel, who relayed the next destination. Then the writer sped off.

"So what do I have to do?" Luke asked. "Do I have to wait a certain amount of time or…"

Gabriel frowned. "Huh. I don't think I asked."

"So I can go?" Luke asked hopefully.

"It feels wrong to not give you some penalty…" Gabriel shook his head. "Why don't you… give me twenty push-ups?"

"That's it?" Luke was surprised. "Wow. Thanks."

He dropped down to do his push-ups. "You know, you're pretty nice. I don't get why Beck can't stand you."

"Search me," Gabriel agreed. "That's twenty."

Luke winked. "One for the queen!" He did an extra push-up, before standing. "Where am I off to?"

"K'wala Caves, dude," Gabriel said. They high-fived before Luke left.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I owe Irish a favour down the road. She had some upset stomach meds on-hand, and they're helping significantly. I'm down, but not out!"

* * *

Madeline sat alone by the pool. She was the only one there, presumably because the others were watching the finale. She looked sad, this being enhanced by the fact that she was wearing all black- except for her Team Ruby jersey.

"Dumb people," she said quietly. "Dumb game. Dumb show."

"Hey," Janson said, walking over. "Now that you're finally out of your room, can we talk?"

Madeline glared at him. "I'm only out here because the producers threatened to take me to court for not participating. I'm under no obligation to talk to anyone, least of all you."

"Fine," Janson said, plopping himself down beside her. "I'll just sit here."

Silence.

"You stopped talking to my door," Madeline finally said. "After you went to that eliminated contestants challenge."

"If it helps," Janson joked, "I almost ended up not bringing you food."

Another period of silence. Then, "I'm glad you didn't."

"Well, I couldn't just abandon you entirely," Janson shrugged. "I was worried about you."

"Why?" Madeline snapped.

"Why?" Janson repeated.

"Why were you worried about me?" Madeline asked. "You made it clear that you didn't give a rat's banana about seeing me get hurt after I was eliminated. So why did you keep bribing me food? Why did you try to talk with me? Why do you care?"

It was Janson's turn to be silent.

"Well?" Madeline prompted. After he remained speechless, she said. "Yeah, I figured."

"Madeline," Janson said, making her look at him. "When I began the game, I had a solid plan in my head. I wanted to find an innocent girl to, well, basically use as a vote for as long as I could. It wasn't a moral strategy. In fact, it was downright despicable."

Madeline stared at him.

"So, while I didn't personally see myself as a villain, I knew I was doing something villainous and people would probably label me as such," Janson continued. "With that in mind, I resigned myself to play a cold, impersonal game. And yes, that involved using you."

Madeline frowned. "Go on."

"Then I got eliminated," Janson said. "I finally let myself feel emotion again. I knew holding I all in would be pointless. And I realized just how terrible I had been. So when I heard you were eliminated, I made sure that I would tell you what I had done. But I literally added insult to injury, seeing as how you had your broken arm. It was poor timing on my part."

Madeline nodded absently.

"Then you locked yourself in your room. I thought that was the end of it, but I still felt guilty. I thought, 'I apologized. Why do I still feel bad?' I didn't know, but I knew I could do more. I started to give you food and talk to you when no one else was around. But nothing happened. You wouldn't do anything. Faith and I briefly chatted about it when I was her helper, and I started to give up."

Madeline sighed.

"But," Janson raised a finger. "I still couldn't shake that feeling of guilt, and I think I know why."

"Why's that?" Madeline asked, not unkindly.

"I made a mistake in my master plan," Janson finished. "Because when I attempted to manipulate you, I never intended to have you permeate my thoughts. I never intended to have my heart flutter when I saw you. I never intended, Madeline, to fall in love with you. But I did."

Madeline's eyes were wide. "Janson, I-"

"No, Madeline," Janson silenced her. "I'm only telling you this now because I need to say something important. I don't care how you feel about me, we can't date. Ever. I refuse to do that to myself, but more importantly, I refuse to do that to you."

A pause.

"Oh," Madeline said simply.

"Yeah," Janson agreed awkwardly. "I just… yeah. Am I forgiven?"

"You never technically apologized," Madeline pointed out.

"I'm _sorry_ ," Janson shot back with as much fake enthusiasm as he could muster. Madeline giggled.

"I forgive you," Madeline repeated in a like manner. Janson laughed.

Madeline stood up. "You know what? I think I'll change out of these clothes."

"Yeah, I should check up on the game," Janson agreed. He walked off.

Madeline watched him go and sighed wistfully.

* * *

Confessional: Janson- 16th Place

"The cat's out of the bag, I suppose. I wasn't expecting to admit all that to Madeline, but nevertheless, it felt good to get it off my chest. Maybe I can still look back on this game positively."

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- 14th Place

"First I get eliminated from a dumb injury, then I act like a princess and stay in my room for, like, weeks, and now a really cute guy admits he likes me but says we can't date. Some experience this is turning out to be."

* * *

Ruby arrived at the K'wala Caves. "I think I have a decent lead," she said to no one in particular.

She looked around. Inside the main cave there were coins in three colours- lavender, royal blue, and forest green. However, there were no people present.

"Do I have to wait for someone to tell me what to do, or…" she shrugged. "I guess someone would say something if I was doing it wrong."

She went over to the pile of coins and started to pick up the lavender ones.

"WAIT!" Mitzi stumbled into the cave. "Oh no!"

Ruby, surprised, dropped the few coins she had collected. "What do-"

"Mitzi!" Mitzi scolded herself. "You just had to take a bathroom break, didn't you? Now look what you've done!"

"Er…" Ruby hesitated. "Do you want to explain the challenge?"

Mitzi seemed to remember that Ruby was there. "Oh! Um… you… pick up the coins of your colour… yeah. Oh! There's, um… a thousand each."

"Okay," Ruby nodded. "Thanks."

Mitzi sighed and shook her head.

Ruby returned to picking up the lavender coins.

"Oh!" Mitzi cried, causing Ruby to instinctively drop her coins again. "You- you have to, er… to drop them into… one of these tass glubes. I mean! Glass tubes," she motioned to one of three tubes on the wall, each about one coin's diameter. "You can go once it's full. And… yeah."

"Got it," Ruby said, starting to pick up the coins for the third time. Of course, by this point, Kevin arrived.

He saw Mitzi and put on a warm smile. "Hi, Mitzi. What's the challenge?"

"Oh!" Mitzi was surprised. "I, um…" she shook her head.

"Take your time," Kevin said. "I don't mind."

Mitzi smiled a little. "You have to collect one thousand coins of your colour. Once you put them in one of these glass tubes," she confidently gestured to them, "I'll give you the next location."

"Awesome. Thank you," Kevin nodded and began to collect coins.

Ruby was surprised at his ability to calm Mitzi down. "How'd you-"

"I know how to handle people like Mitzi," Kevin replied quickly, staying focused on his task. "I, um… have a sister who acts similar," he added, lying only a little.

Ruby nodded and they continued.

Just then, Luke burst into the cave. "Here's Lukey!" He waited for Mitzi to explain the instructions and began to collect coins.

Luke looked at the other finalists' coin piles, both of which were small due to the three arriving at similar times. "Looks like I can catch up quickly."

Kevin glared at the actor. "Not on my watch."

The three all collected coins at a similar pace. However, after a few minutes, one of the three contestants started to transport his coins over to the glass tubes. That person was Kevin.

Using his shirt like a sack, the writer put all one thousand of his coins in his shirt and walked over to the tubes. Then, one by one, he put coins in the tube.

When his tube was about half-full, Ruby realized that she had collected all of her coins. She, too, walked over to the tube and started to put coins in.

Kevin's tube was nearly full, and Ruby's a little under halfway, when Luke also scooped up his coins and made his way to the tubes. "All right!"

Luke was by far the fastest at putting his coins in- going two or even three at a time- so it wasn't long before he passed Ruby. However, Kevin had a significant lead so he finished first.

"Check!" Kevin called. Mitzi skipped over and checked the level of coins.

She nodded. "Good," then she whispered in his ear. "Your next challenge is at the west border of the K'wala Forest. Good luck."

Kevin exited the caves. A minute later, Ruby said, "Check please!"

Mitzi nodded again and relayed the location of the fourth leg of the challenge. Ruby left.

Then it was Luke's turn, not five seconds later. "Cheeeyeeeck!" He said in a fake suave voice.

Mitzi looked at his stack but shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"No," She agreed. Luke frowned. "You're missing one."

"Okay, I'll go back, I guess," he dashed back to the cave and started to look for his last coin.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

He's glaring. "I did not come this far to lose. Watch out, Kevin and Ruby. Papa Luke's coming for you."

* * *

Connor was in the kitchen. The finale was playing on a small TV screen mounted on the wall, though he wasn't paying attention to it.

The hippie was currently mixing what looked like cake batter in a stainless steel bowl, while humming a tune under his breath.

"They're going to love these," he smirked.

A clatter on the other side of the room made him jump. He turned to see that it was Renee, who had just dropped a plastic container.

"What are you doing here?" Renee and Connor said at the same time.

"I'm-" They began to say again. Connor prompted for Renee to go first. "I'm just grabbing the other veggie tray. We went through the first one in the game room."

"Hm," Connor said suspiciously. "Your vibe's pretty cherry, but that's could mean a few things."

"And what, might I ask, are you doing?" Renee asked with pursed lips.

"I'm making brownies," Connor replied simply. He titled the bowl just enough to show the brown batter in it, with the occasional chocolate chip or fleck of green.

"Wait a second," Renee stared at the batter. "Why are there green bits in there?"

Then her eyes widened. "Connor! You can't make stoner brownies! It's illegal!"

"Technically, we're on an uncharted island, sister," Connor chuckled. "So I could if I wanted to. However, what you're seeing isn't a drug. It's spinach."

"Spinach?" Renee repeated. Then she gagged. "That's even worse!"

Connor, taken aback, spluttered. "In what world is spinach worse than-"

"It's an abomination!" Renee interjected.

"It's healthy," Connor corrected.

"Why are you even making brownies in the first place?" Renee questioned. She adjusted her reporter's hat and fumbled with a microphone. "Are you feeling guilty? Excited? Hungry? Angry? Dare I say… hangry?" She put the microphone in his face.

Connor batted it away. "Your vibe disgusts me, sister. No, I'm merely making these for the contestants to enjoy."

"Why?" Renee insisted.

"Who cares?" Connor threw his hands in the air. "The point is, I'm doing something nice, and you're disturbing me."

"Why would you put spinach in them, though?" Renee asked him.

"It's healthy!" Connor said. "You'll barely be able to taste it. Now out."

Renee smirked. "If you say so."

Once she left, Connor opened the fridge out of mere curiosity. There were no veggie trays present. Connor chuckled.

* * *

Confessional: Renee- 13th Place

"Even if Connor and I dislike each other, I can still respect the fact that he's an interesting individual, one whom I may never reveal the secrets of." She blushes. "That's it!"

* * *

Confessional: Connor- 18th Place

"Veggie tray, my butt. Heh."

* * *

Kevin made it to the western border of K'wala Forest first. "Man. This entire challenge involves a whole lot of running."

"Can't argue with you there," Beck walked over.

Kevin then noticed the two fencing swords in his hands. "Oh, it's _that_ challenge?"

"You got it," Beck agreed. "You'll be sparring against the second finalist to arrive for sixty seconds. The victory will be awarded to whomever I deem more proficient with the sword. They can proceed while the loser must spar against the third finalist to arrive. The loser of that match will perform a penalty. Be sure to show all your expertise with the sword."

"Nice use of whomever," Kevin smirked.

"I thought it was," Beck said. "Here comes a contestant."

Ruby approached. When she arrived, panting, she too saw the swords which Beck carried. "We're fencing?"

Beck nodded and quickly told her what they had to do.

"All right," Ruby said. She rolled up her sleeves as Beck have both competitors a sword. They got into positions.

"Ready?"

They nodded.

"Fight!" Beck said, and over the course of the next sixty seconds Ruby proceeded to give Kevin the beatdown of his life. She moved her sword with ease, striking Kevin in the head, chest, arms, and groin. Had the swords not been blunt-tipped, Kevin would have been impaled several times over. She managed to party his few pitiful blows and was creative with her manner of striking, slicing andBstabbing.

After the sixty seconds was up, Beck was stunned speechless. "Well… Ruby wins, I guess."

"All right!" Ruby cheered. Kevin groaned.

"And your next location is…" Beck whispered. "Lake Gellafiche."

Ruby left.

"Oh, here comes Luke," Beck noted a few seconds later. Kevin groaned again, still shocked from how badly he had been defeated.

Luke arrived with anger in his eyes.

"Hey, Luke," Beck said, taken aback. After quickly saying the instructions and giving Like his sword, the boys got into position.

"Ready?"

Luke spat at Kevin.

Kevin just sighed, resigning himself to defeat.

"Fight!"

Luke was brutal with his attacks. He sacrificed personal defence for intensity as he struck. It wouldn't have mattered, anyway- Kevin was still recovering and could barely react, aside from feeble thrusts. Luke sliced, sliced, and sliced some more. He grinned as he did so.

After the minute passed, Luke stood, sweaty and exhausted, but still smiling. "That's what you get for trying to sabotage me."

Kevin toppled over. He curled into the fetal position. "Urgh…"

"Luke wins, I guess," Beck said. "Proceed to Lake Gellafiche."

He did so, leaving only Beck and Kevin in the area.

"Kevin?" Beck snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"I'm good," Kevin slowly stood up. "Give me the penalty, man."

Beck thought about it. "Did we ever really discuss the penalties? I guess not. So… spell 'incandescence'."

"I-N-C-A-N-D-E-S-C-E-N-C-E," Kevin spelled without missing a beat, despite appearing extensively tired.

"Okay, you can go," Beck said. Kevin sprinted off.

After he was gone, Beck added, "Man. That guy doesn't give up."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I'm not even that good at swordplay… I think. I definitely got lucky with how well I beat Kevin. But now I'm feeling good! With only two obstacles to go, I'm in the lead!"

* * *

Faith was watching the finale intently. "Hm. Ruby seems a little overconfident, but that's a given considering her success so far. Kevin's doing the worst so far but he's persevering well. And Luke's a wildcard, so nobody knows how he's going to react."

"Wow. Nerd much?" Drew cackled. "You've been spendin' too much time with Michael."

"What do you want?" Faith sighed.

"I'm glad you asked," Drew sat beside her on the couch and lit a cigarette. He offered it to Faith. "Want a smoke?"

"Ew, no," Faith recoiled in disgust. "I'd like to see old age."

"Your loss," Drew shrugged. He leaned back, purring his feet on the table, and took a long drag from his cigarette.

"...You were going to tell me why you're here," Faith prompted.

"Ah, yes," Drew blew some smoke ahead of him. "How would you, doll face, like the chance to date yours truly?"

Faith raised an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. When she saw Drew's scowl, she paused. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Hell yeah I'm serious, babe," Drew smirked. "You, me, a bottle of wine and a good time. How about it?"

Faith struggled to keep a straight face. "Hmm. Let me think. You've only spoken directly with me maybe twice, you've proven yourself time and time again as a womanizing sleaze, and you literally just called me a nerd. So yeah, let's do it."

Drew scowled. "No need to be rude. It's a legit offer. We can bury the hatchet between us. Hey, we both voted for Spencer, right?"

"Is a single vote- a vote which I regret, I might add- your only means of persuading me?" Faith asked.

"I'm Drew freakin' Hanson! That's all the persuadin' you should need," Drew boasted.

Faith chuckled. "Hard pass."

Drew's scowl deepened. "Who's the guy?"

"What?" Faith was taken aback. "I… I don't know what you-"

"Come on, why else would you deny yourself of the Drew Hanson experience?" Drew sneered. "It's Kevin, isn't it. I knew he was crushin' hard on you, but I had no idea you felt the same."

"I'm not-"

"What's he got that I don't?" Drew interrupted her. "I'm better-lookin', cooler, and I got that inexplicable charm that the ladies dig."

"I don't-"

"Oh," Drew snapped his fingers. "You're going for the brain, ain't you? Well, I have to tell you that while I try to downplay it, I'm smarter than I look."

"You were the one who managed to alienate your entire team, right?" Faith said quickly, before Drew could interrupt.

Drew coughed. "Well, I don't think Kevin has this kind of body. And I know no one has your body, _wow_."

"I'm leaving," Faith stood and quickly exited.

"She'll come around," Drew said to no one in particular.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- 12th Place

"Okay, so _maybe_ after I dumped Arianna I decided I wanted a different girl. Faith wasn't the right one, I guess, but someone'll come around, just you watch."

* * *

Confessional: Faith- 5th Place

"I'm thoroughly convinced that had his team lost, Drew would have been the first boot. What a creep."

* * *

Ruby arrived at Lake Gellafiche, where Samantha stood smugly, crossing her arms. "Sup?"

"Hi," Ruby waved. "Challenge?"

Samantha gestured to the three mannequin heads behind her. "Just like the challenge that my brother horribly screwed up, you'll be decorating a face. Once I deem it acceptable, you can move on."

"Easy enough," Ruby started to go toward her mannequin, the paused. "Where's the makeup."

"Right," Samantha cackled. She gestured to the lake. "There's about thirty waterproof containers at the bottom of the lake. Some of them have makeup, some of them have things that could be used as makeup, and some have diddly squat."

"Great," Ruby said sarcastically. "You're going to retrieve the containers afterward, right?"

"Yeah," Samantha agreed unconvincingly. "Totally."

Ruby rolled her eyes and waded into the lake. Then she dove down and started to search for containers.

Luke arrived next. "A wild Luke appeared!"

Samantha laughed. "Samantha used _Describe The Challenge!_ " Then she did so.

"All right. Swimming's one of my favourite things," Luke winked. "Winning is second on the list."

Samantha laughed again. "Just start the challenge, dummy."

Luke cannonballed into the water and started to search for containers just as Ruby found her first one.

"Come on," she said, opening it. It was empty, though, so she continued looking.

Kevin appeared, panting heavily. "Challenge, please," he said.

Samantha relayed the instructions, finishing with a "Good luck."

Kevin dove into the water as Luke opened his first container. The actor saw the contents- a swath of acrylic paint in various shades of blue."

"Blue, just like Team Luke," Luke grinned. "This is an omen. Let's go!"

He made for the shore.

"Dang," Ruby shook her head. She found another container and scooped it up from the bottom of the lake. When she opened it, she found, once again, nothing. "Again?"

It was Kevin's turn. He had opted to go for a container close to the shore. It paid off, as inside his very first container there was an entire professional makeup kit. "Yes!"

Ruby was now concerned. Luke was just beginning to work on his mannequin, and Kevin, due to being close to the lake, was right on his tail. She looked for another container.

Luke started liberally applying paint to the mannequin' face. "You'll look beautiful in no time, Mrs. Jones," he said.

Kevin opened his makeup set. It contained a bounty of items, but the writer was looking even more confused than before. "Um…" he held up a mascara brush. "lipstick…?"

"Aha!" Ruby saw another container. She dove down and retrieved it. Then, opening it, she saw that it contained a single item.

"A tube of wasabi?" She spluttered. She glanced over to see Luke moving along quickly, and even Kevin beginning to pick up steam. "It's better than nothing." She swam back, and started to work.

Minutes passed. Luke was humming his spy theme under his breath, Kevin was concentrating a little too hard, and Ruby was barely staying afloat. Then, the inevitable happened.

"Check!" Samantha heard. She made her way to Luke's station to view his mannequin.

"This is…" she paused as Luke waited hesitantly. "Great!"

"Yes!" Luke cheered.

"The final challenge awaits you back at the dock where you started," Samantha said to Luke.

The actor sped off.

Kevin, concerned, just sighed. "Check," he said, not really expecting a pass.

Samantha viewed his mannequin. "This is…" she hesitated. "Not that good, but I'll give you a pass for it."

"Really?" Kevin smiled, surprised. "Cool."

He, too, left, leaving only Ruby at the station.

Ruby looked at her mannequin, which was covered in patches of green. "Check?"

Samantha gave her mannequin a once-over, but shook her head. "Nope."

Ruby sighed.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"One obstacle to go, and I have the lead. I can do this!"

* * *

Abigail and Nikki watched the television. Abigail clicked her tongue in irritation. "Oh, I hope Luke doesn't win."

"Yeah. Go, Kevin," Nikki causally raised her fist.

"Nah, I'm on team Ruby," Abigail gestured to her jersey. "Girl's an athlete. She's going to take it."

"I'm surprised you're not cheering for Kevin…" Nikki said. "Considering we had a final three deal together, and all."

Abigail shrugged. "We swapped teams right after that. I never really got to know him, and I was eliminated before the merge, so we never reunited. Ruby and I had some fun on the Wombats, even though we were in separate alliances."

"The only thing I remember about Ruby is that she's a lesbian..." Nikki admitted. "And I only know that because I thought she had a crush on Beck."

Abigail chuckled. "Are you two a thing?"

"Beck and I? Yeah…" Nikki trailed off. "We can't really do anything while we're on the show, but after it's over, we're going to try and make a long-distance thing work…"

"Cool," Abigail smirked. "If only I could find someone like that, eh? I'm stuck with guys like Janson."

"Janson's actually not bad, once you get to know him…" Nikki said.

Abigail scoffed. "You're joking, right? That guy gave me PTSD."

"Really? You've never showed any of the symptoms..." Nikki pointed out. "My uncle's a military vet with PTSD, and he's nothing like you…"

"Why do you that thing with your voice?" Abigail asked, trying to change the subject.

"What thing?" Nikki asked.

"Where you trail off distantly at the end of your sentence," Abigail explained. "It's kind of cool, actually."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Nikki replied.

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- 9th Place

"Do I really do a thing with my voice? I've never noticed it before… But if people think it's cool, I'm not complaining…"

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- 10th Place

"Okay, so after I broke up with Janson I used Web MD to see if I would suffer any long-lasting conditions. Maybe I misdiagnosed myself. Maybe."

* * *

Luke arrived at the dock, where Logan stood, smiling.

"Congratulations, Luke, for arriving first," Logan said. He raised his hand, held in which were three pieces of paper. "I have here the map to Chris, the contestants, and a suitcase filled with… well, actually, it's just an empty suitcase. But it still signifies the prize money. The first person to touch that suitcase will win the whole thing."

"Awesome. Can I have it?" Luke asked.

"Not yet," Logan chided. "The most recent challenge we did was a long-distance run followed by a trivia tiebreaker."

"Oh, I know," Luke smirked.

Now, we'll be doing the reverse- a trivia challenge followed by a long-distance run to win." He gestured to a small table on the end of the dock. "Over on that table, there are three tablets. When you turn yours on, you'll be asked a true-false question. The correct answer will give you one point, while an incorrect answer will give you a ten-second penalty, before moving you on to the next question. After all fifty questions have been answered, either right or wrong, by one person, everyone will drop their tablets. Whoever has the most points will be given the map first. Then, after thirty seconds, whoever has more points of the remaining two will be given the map. After another thirty seconds, the final person will be given the map."

"Seems hard," Luke commented.

"It's really not," Logan disagreed. "Just tough to explain. You'd better hurry, though."

Luke nodded and grabbed a tablet. When he turned it on, the screen instantly displayed a question. _TF1: MADELINE WAS THE FIRST PERSON ELIMINATED AFTER THE TEAM SWAP._

"No, I think that was Connie," Luke said to himself. He pressed a red _FALSE_ button.

 _CORRECT! 1 POINT_ , read the screen. Then the next question was displayed. _TF2: JOHN WAS ELIMINATED BEFORE JANSON._

"Hm. I wasn't on that team…" Luke muttered. He tentatively pressed _FALSE_.

 _INCORRECT! WAIT 10 SECONDS_ , the screen now read. The _10_ ticked down as Luke cursed.

Luke continued to answer questions. Soon, he wasn't the only one at the dock, as Kevin arrived.

"Challenge," Kevin said plainly. Logan explained it and Kevin quickly picked up a tablet.

The first question the writer came across read _TF51: ADDIE RECEIVED FOUR VOTES ON THE NIGHT HE WAS ELIMINATED._

Kevin concentrated. "Hm. Arianna played the advantage, and Addie… yeah, I think so."

"Shh!" Luke shushed him. Kevin rolled his eyes and pressed the _TRUE_ button, but was hit with an _INCORRECT!_ message.

After ten seconds, he came across the next question. _TF52: BOTH DREW AND ABIGAIL WERE ELIMINATED IN THE FIRST ELIMINATION CEREMONY THEY ATTENDED._

Kevin pondered this, and eventually pressed _TRUE_. "Yes!" He smirked as he was rewarded a point.

Luke glared at him.

It was quite a while before Ruby arrived- in fact, both Luke and Kevin were more than halfway through their questions.

"What am I doing?" She asked Logan. Logan told her, and she picked up the third tablet.

 _TF101_ , the tablet read. _MICHAEL WAS ELIMINATED DURING THE SECOND OF TWO CONSECUTIVE ELIMINATION CEREMONIES WHICH REQUIRED A SECOND SET OF VOTES._

"That's true," Ruby said, pressing the corresponding button. She gained a point and looked at the next question.

 _TF102: MADELINE, RENEE, DREW, AND SPENCER WERE ALL ELIMINATED WITHIN TWO DAYS OF EACH OTHER._

"That's true, too," Ruby realized. She pressed the _TRUE_ button and gained another point.

The three finalists continued to answer questions. Luke paced back and forth down the dock, Kevin glared at his tablet, and Ruby tentatively pressed buttons.

Eventually, though, one contestant finished all fifty of their questions- and that was Luke.

He answered his final one ( _TF50: RENEE CAST MORE VOTES THAN NIKKI)_ correctly, and suddenly all three screens went red.

"Aha!" Luke fist-pumped.

"Luke finishes first," Logan said. "The machines will now calculate the points, and determine who will win the time advantage."

They waited tensely.

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"I answered at least thirty questions right, maybe more. Here's hoping I can put some distance between me and the others. I need it now more than ever."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I was relatively close to finishing. Maybe I got enough. I don't know if I can beat these two in a foot race, and a time disadvantage would make things even worse."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"I arrived late, but I was answering a lot of questions right. I think I might have this advantage, but I can work with it if I don't. I think."

* * *

"The scores have been calculated," Logan announced. "The first map goes to…"

They waited tensely, all looking at each other.

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"...Kevin," Logan finally said. Kevin was shocked, but not as much as Luke, who scowled angrily.

Kevin snatched the map from Logan, read it quickly, and ran off.

Nearly thirty seconds later, Logan looked at Luke and Ruby, who were even more impatient now. "The next map goes to…"

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"...Luke," He finished.

Luke whooped and sprinted down the dock, grabbing the map from Logan as he did so.

Ruby sighed resignedly.

"Sorry Ruby. For what it's worth, all of you finished within seven points of each other," Logan admitted. "You were close."

"Close isn't good enough. I'll have to really dig deep for this," Ruby replied.

After a few more seconds, Logan said. "Okay, you're good."

Ruby bolted. She grabbed the map but didn't even stop to read it. She aggressively ran.

Logan watched her as she left. "This is going to be good."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"I needed every second of that advantage. I'm the slowest runner. But I'm not giving in, not when the end is so close."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Kevin beating me ticked me off. But whatever. I will win. Thirty seconds can't stop me."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"It all comes down to this- I'm so nervous it hurts. But I know what depends on this win. I'll run like I never have."

* * *

The eliminated contestants, Chris, and the interns gathered around the podium containing the suitcase symbolizing one million dollars.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin

"Because I have to win. For my family."

* * *

Confessional: Luke

"Because I have to win. To prove my mother wrong."

* * *

Confessional: Ruby

"Because I have to win. Michael needs it."

* * *

Kevin was running, currently in the lead. But Luke was coming up behind him. The actor and the writer looked each other in the eyes and continued to run, now neck and neck. A few seconds later, Ruby also caught up. She started running pace for pace with the others.

The finalists stayed right beside each other, all of them pushing harder and harder. The motel on Oord island loomed closer.

* * *

Confessional: Kevin, Luke, and Ruby

All three look dead into the camera and say the same thing. "I'm so close."

* * *

Everyone at Oord Island waited with impatience.

"What's takin' them so long?" Drew complained loudly.

"They'll be here soon, I'm sure," Michael assured him. He was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white.

"It's so tense," Connie laughed. "It's awesome!"

"Wait!" Nikki cried. "I think…" she squinted. "I think I see someone!"

The others all looked. When a figure, too small to be identified, started to run toward them, they chattered excitedly.

"That's someone, all right!" Chris agreed.

He was viewing the scene through binoculars, so only he could see. He brought out a megaphone, and, smiling, shouted, "Bring it in…"

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* * *

Confessional: Michael- 6th Place

"I want it to be Ruby. I need it to be Ruby. Her win would mean the end of my problems... for good."

* * *

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* * *

Confessional: Nikki- 9th Place

"Oh, I hope it's Kevin. He deserves it more than anyone else. He's a good player and a good friend."

* * *

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* * *

Confessional: Spencer- 11th Place

"If Luke wins, it would be epic. He's been playing an all-around gutsy game. To be rewarded for it would make for a great story."

* * *

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Kevin sprinted forward, shouting as he did so.

The onlookers cheered- with the notable exception of Michael- saying "Go Kevin!" Soon it evolved into a chant. "Go Kevin go! Go Kevin go!"

Kevin looked dead on his feet, but he stumbled on. Once he had reached the motel, he paused for a moment, savouring his victory. Then he slapped the suitcase.

"Yes!" He cheered. He shared a high-five with Nikki.

As he celebrated his win, Luke was the next to run forward. He resignedly tapped the suitcase. Ruby came next, hanging her head.

"Congratulations to Kevin!" Chris said. "The Winner of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala!"

Upon hearing his win affirmed, he knelt on the ground, overwhelmed with emotion. People patted him on the back.

"Luke takes second, and Ruby takes third," Chris added.

Luke nodded bitterly. Ruby just sighed.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- 3rd Place

"Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of how far I made it. I never thought I'd do so well. But still, I couldn't do this for Michael. Don't get me wrong, I'll figure something out. I'm not giving up on him that easily."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Runner Up

He glares. "Second isn't good enough. Not for my mother. I know I'll be the subject of ridicule for a while, unless…" he suddenly looks thoughtful. "...there might still be something I can do."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Winner

"I can't believe it! I won! I actually won! My family's financial worries are over!" He calms

slightly. "I couldn't have done it without all the people by my side. Nikki, Ilyria, Addie, everyone else… I'm just in awe right now. I actually did it!"

* * *

"All right. Your boats to take you home will be arriving around 10:00 pm," Chris smirked. "Until then, enjoy the rest of your day." He turned to Kevin, Luke, and Ruby. "And you three! Go take a shower."

Connie and John quickly exchanged a look. Then John raised his voice. "Attention, everyone!"

Several heads turned to him.

"We're going to be having a special surprise in the game room at 7:00 tonight," John said. "Meet us there."

Kevin, Luke, and Ruby all stood off to one side. They glanced at each other.

"Congrats," Luke said bitterly to Kevin. "You deserve the win."

"You really do," Ruby agreed with a slight smile.

"Thanks," Kevin said graciously. "You two were really strong competitors. I have nothing but respect for you."

They nodded. Then, as one, they all wrinkled their noses.

"We really should shower," Ruby said. "Four weeks on an island is not good for my hair."

"Yep," the boys agreed at the same time. They all laughed.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- 3rd Place

"Yeah, maybe it's disappointing that I couldn't do this for Michael, but there's always another way. I'll think of something. Until then, I can be happy with third. Of course, if I get asked back, all bets are off."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Runner Up

"You know what? I'm actually content with second. I made it to the grand finale of Total Drama! That in itself is an accomplishment. And if my mother can't see eye to eye with me on this, well, there are other ways to get her respect. Just watch me."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Winner

"It's nothing short of irony that I could barely stay alive in the strategic portion of the game, yet I won in a physical challenge. Man, I won… I might never get tired of saying that."

* * *

Connor sat dejectedly in the kitchen. He was holding a pan of brownies on his lap.

He glanced up as the door opened. "Renee?"

"No," Madeline said as she approached.

She opened the fridge and took a bottle of water, before starting to leave.

"Wait!" Connor jumped up and offered the tray to her. "Want a brownie?"

Madeline peered at the brownies, in which little bits of green were visible. "Er… no thanks."

"Of course you don't," Connor sighed. "Nobody wants to try these things. What a crappy way to end a crappy season."

"Oh, tell me about it!" Madeline agreed. "My team betrayed my closest ally, and me by extension, and they didn't even show remorse!"

"You too?" Connor set the brownies down and stood. "The first elimination ceremony, the votes were tied against me and Ilyria, three and three! Then on the revote, everyone voted against me! Even Renee, who I thought I could trust!"

"Oh my god, it was infuriating!" Madeline agreed. "My team never voted me out, because I had to be medevaced, but they outright told me they were going to! And just because I was angry at them for voting out Janson!"

"Janson… the guy that everyone knew was manipulating you except you?" Connor asked.

"The same one," Madeline sighed. "We're cool now. But get this- he had a crush on me the whole time! But for some half-baked reason he doesn't think we can date!"

"Don't tell me about romance, sister," Connor rolled his eyes. "Renee had a crush on me when we were in the game, but then when I pursued her after we were both eliminated, she shied away! And then when I stopped, she started back up again! It's like, I don't even know!"

Madeline nodded. "It's crazy. You know what? I think I will take a brownie."

"Please!" Connor said exasperatedly. "I don't get why everyone doesn't want them. It's just some spinach."

"People don't normally put spinach in brownies? Weird," Madeline said, taking a bite.

She made for the door. "Oh! I'm Madeline, by the way."

"Connor," Connor replied before she left.

* * *

Confessional: Madeline- 14th Place

"It's nice to find a kindred spirit here. I wasn't expecting anyone else to have had such a bad experience playing, but hey, it gives us something to talk about."

* * *

Confessional: Connor- 18th Place

"I _swear_ it's spinach."

* * *

Ruby had finished her shower and sat on a couch in the foyer. She was, at the moment, trying to comb her hair, but it was so knotted that she wasn't making much progress.

"Hair trouble?" Renee asked as she approached.

"I'll probably have to see a salon after this," Ruby moaned. "Or I might cut it short. I've been wanting to for a while now, and this could be a good excuse."

"I see," Renee said. Then she pulled out her microphone. "Up for an interview?"

"With me? Why?" Ruby asked.

"You happen to be the third place finisher of a high-stakes reality TV show," Renee reminded her. "I want to be the first to hear your story before the news stations gobble you up."

Ruby gave her a look.

"Kevin told me to {CENSORED} off and Luke's still in the shower," Renee added.

"Ah," Ruby said. "Yeah, I'll do it."

"Great!" Renee adjusted her hat and pulled out a microphone. "Hold this."

"Okay?" Ruby checked the microphone. "This… isn't a real mic."

"Yep," Renee said absently as she shuffled around in her bag. Then she registered what Ruby had said. "Wait, what?"

"It's… not real," Ruby said hesitantly. "It's just a plastic replica. How did you not know this?"

Renee's eyes widened. "All of my interviews I've recorded… for nothing?"

"You wrote them down though, right?" Ruby asked.

Renee said nothing.

"Oh dear," Ruby said. "You could just… make this one count?"

Renee said nothing.

"Seriously, I'm all ears. Or mouth, I guess," Ruby corrected herself. "Well, I probably can't be all mouth, because I'd have to listen to your questions. I suppose I'm a healthy mix of ears and mouth in this situation."

Renee said nothing.

"I think I'll go," Ruby slowly stood up and left.

Renee fainted.

* * *

Confessional: Ruby- 3rd Place

"And I was actually kind of looking forward to that review, too… hopefully she recovers."

* * *

Confessional: Renee- 13th Place

She holds the microphone in her hand. "How could you betray me like this?" She hurls it out the window.

* * *

Kevin was strolling down the hall- alone, as per usual. He was smiling and humming- of all things- Luke's spy theme.

"You know, it's actually pretty catchy once you get used to it," he said to himself.

"So is a fishing rod," Faith quipped, walking out from a bedroom. "What's up?"

"I was looking for you," Kevin admitted. "I think we need to talk."

"About… us?" Faith waved her hands.

"Yeah," Kevin agreed. "Us."

"Cool," Faith said awkwardly. She gestured to the room. "Connie and I share the room, but she only comes in here to sleep, so we should be good."

They entered the room. Faith sat on her bed, leaving Kevin to sit on either a chair or Connie's bed. He opted for the latter, gingerly staying on the edge.

"So…" Kevin trailed off. "The competition's over, and there's nothing to distract us. We're, unfortunately, aware that I like you. But we have no idea how you feel. So I think we should start with that."

"Yeah," Faith agreed. "I'll… Ill be frank with you. I like you back. Like, in a non-platonic sense of the word."

"Okay, that's a start," Kevin nodded. "And-"

"Wait," Faith held up her hand. "The thing is, I'm just so busy at home. I have a million younger siblings to take care of, a part-time job, and I'm in an honours school where we get a bunch of homework."

"So you're saying that you'd be open to dating, but you just don't have the time," Kevin translated.

Faith shook her head. "It sounds bad when you put it like that. I'm sorry, but I also don't think I'm ready for a relationship, especially since we're so far apart geographically. I don't want to mess anything up."

Kevin nodded. "That's fair."

"But we should keep in touch," she added. "You're a good guy. I'd like to know you better."

"And I, you," Kevin agreed. "Of course, I might not have time. I am a celebrity now, after all."

Faith laughed. "Sure, Mr. Hotshot."

They faded into awkward silence.

"Okay. See you," Kevin finally said as he left.

* * *

Confessional: Faith- 5th Place

"I think that went well enough. Hopefully we can meet again, maybe when I'm less bogged down with responsibilities. I'd like that."

* * *

Confessional: Kevin- Winner

"You know, I don't think Faith and I are right for each other. I couldn't see myself falling for someone who couldn't make time for a relationship. I'm moving on from her."

* * *

Janson and Abigail entered the patio at the same time, from two different doors.

"Abigail," Janson said calmly.

"Janson," Abigail glared at him. "Here to wreak havoc on my life again?"

He sighed. "Can't we just bury the hatchet between us?"

"Let's see. Have you stopped being a manipulative little weevil?" Abigail retorted.

Janson rolled his eyes. "Yes, in fact. People change, Abigail. We dated, like, two years ago. I'm different now."

"Explain why you wrapped Madeline around your finger, then." Abigail crossed her arms.

"That…" Janson scratched his head. "That was a mistake, I admit. Had I known the consequences, I'd never have-"

"Oh, don't give me that repentant sinner act," Abigail snapped. "I don't care if you'd have played like a saint going back. You didn't. So, as far as I can tell, you're just as bad as ever."

"You're not even giving me a chance," Janson argued.

"I gave you a chance! When we dated!" Abigail shouted. "You broke my heart!"

"You're not even listening at this point! You've never listened! Not when I said I didn't want to go on that roller coaster because I got motion sickness! Not when I said I didn't want to go to that Halloween horror film festival because I didn't like being scared! Not the three {CENSORED} times I tried to break up with you!" Janson shouted angrily.

Abigail took a step back. "...What?"

"Oh, you don't remember?" Janson rolled his eyes. "I'm not surprised. Once at a steakhouse on 3rd street. Once when I called you from a vacation in France. And once exactly two weeks after prom!" He stepped forward. "All three times, I tried to tell you that we weren't going to work, and you never listened! Can you blame me for needing to do something drastic?"

Abigail said nothing.

"When I kissed Kate Houlihan, it wasn't because I was in love with her," Janson said, "It was because I needed to do something to get out of our relationship! And then you had the nerve to call _me_ manipulative!"

Abigail was shocked. "Wow. I… I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," Janson replied bitterly. "Just take a step back and realize who's really in the wrong here."

They both left. The camera panned to the left to show Nikki, who had been standing there for the entire conversation, unnoticed.

* * *

Confessional: Abigail- 10th Place

"Have I been wrong about Janson this whole time? Nikki told me that he wasn't that bad. Is this whole thing really my fault? I need to reconsider."

* * *

Confessional: Janson- 16th Place

"I'd never had the guts to say that before. I feel like I've spent the entire time after I was eliminated trying to prove that I'm not the villain I was portrayed as. Maybe that was the tipping point."

* * *

Confessional: Nikki- 9th Place

"Wow. I've heard nothing but bad things about Janson from Abigail, but that makes me reframe the whole thing. Maybe Abigail's not as nice a person as I thought she was…"

* * *

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Still no."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Addie, I'm not opening the letter here," Ilyria insisted. "I've told you this a hundred times."

"Yeah, but I really think you should this time," Addie said. "There may or may not be something really important in there."

Ilyria clenched her fist. "Addie, just let me have this! I know I've been fired. Deep down, I do. But until I open this letter, I can uphold the illusion of security. Don't force me to lose that."

Addie glanced at the camera. "Look, I'm just going to keep asking until you open it. Do you really want to deal with me all day?"

"I'd rather not," Ilyria admitted. "But no. This letter's staying right in my pocket."

Before Addie realized what she was about to do, she patted her pocket… only to discover the letter wasn't there.

"Addie!" Ilyria's eyes widened. "The letter- it's gone!"

"Right," Addie awkwardly chuckled. "I was going to put it back when you weren't looking."

Ilyria angered at the implication. "You read the letter?"

"Well, I wanted to know!" Addie defended himself. "It's a good thing I did, because-"

"Don't tell me!" Ilyria interrupted. Addie handed her the letter. "I'll open it myself."

"Really?" Addie asked suspiciously.

"I can't stand the thought that someone else knows what this says and not me," Ilyria explained. "It'll drive me loony."

"Hey, if it works, it works," Addie grinned as Ilyria opened the letter.

" _HAP Agent Ilyria Song_ ," she read. " _In regards to your recent bout against Morgan McPherson,_ blah blah blah, _Exposure of protected HAP equipment and secrets,_ blah blah blah, _We have come to a decision._

Hesitating only slightly, she turned the paper over. " _We have unanimously agreed upon promoting you to head of the HAP's junior division!"_ She exclaimed. "Addie, this is great!"

"I know, right?" Addie agreed.

Then she faltered. "But… if I take this, then I'll be stuck at a desk all day. In Britain. What if I'm not able to see you?"

"Keep reading, I guess," Addie shrugged neutrally.

"Blah blah blah… _In order to fill your soon-to-be vacated position, we would also ask you to deliver a letter of appointment to one Addie Shinskin. Should he accept, he may begin training effective immediately!_ " She was joyous. "Addie! You're coming to Britain!"

"And to think, I don't even like crumpets," Addie bemoaned.

Ilyria laughed, and then surprised him with a kiss, which he returned.

* * *

Confessional: Ilyria- 4th Place

"I was expecting to be fired, but this is better than I ever could have imagined! A promotion, and I'll be able to see Addie whenever I want. The HAP is full of surprises."

* * *

Confessional: Addie- 8th Place

He's grinning dopily. "I told her it'd be good, didn't I?"

* * *

Arianna was bitterly packing her clothing. "Stupid Spencer," she muttered.

She heard someone approach her door. "Who's that?"

"Congratu-freakin'-lations," Drew said from the doorway. "You've managed to attain a feat that most chicks never will."

"Oh?" Arianna asked.

"You're gettin' me to apologize," Drew explained. "Look, babe, I'm sorry for actin' like an A-hole when we were on the islands. I wasn't thinkin' straight."

Arianna pondered this. "Apology accepted."

"Awesome," Drew grinned. "Wanna start goin' out again?"

Arianna was repulsed. "Wait, did you only apologize because you thought I'd fall in love with you again?"

"Tch, no," Drew went red. "Alright, yeah. No one here's fallin' for my charms. I don't get it!"

"Just get out," Arianna said coldly.

"Woah, those are fightin' words," Drew chuckled. "I didn't make you that mad. What else is on your mind?"

"Can I be frank?" Arianna asked.

"You can be whoever you want," Drew replied. "Don't expect me to kiss you if you're callin' yourself Frank, though."

"I thought you were bi," Arianna said.

"Yeah, but I ain't datin' no one who I knew as a chick before I knew 'em as a dude," Drew said. "That'd be weird."

"Can I be honest?" Arianna changed her question.

"Shoot, sugar," Drew smirked.

"I can't understand why Spencer's so mad at me!" Arianna complained. "I mean, he knows I didn't vote for him, but he refuses to even talk with me!"

Drew paused. Then he laughed. "Seriously? You don't know?"

Arianna shook her head.

"Ari," Drew said condescendingly. "After Spencer went home, you started acting all crazy, tryin' to get revenge and stuff. It was awesome, don't get me wrong, but Spencer's a wimp. He's not cool with that kind of stuff. I'd say he's ticked 'cause he's disappointed in your actions, or some dumb {CENSORED} like that."

Arianna's eyes widened. "That makes sense! I need to talk to him! Thanks, Drew!"

She ran past him through the doorway.

"What, no kiss for me?" Drew pouted.

* * *

Confessional: Drew- 12th Place

He shakes his head. "I guess I'm goin' home a bachelor. Wasn't expecting it, but hey, the people in Brooklyn are better-lookin' anyway."

* * *

Confessional: Arianna- 7th Place

"Spencer and I made up, by the way. I heard some rumours that they're not going to show our conversation because if time constraints, but yeah, we're friends again. And it's all thanks to Drew. How ironic."

* * *

Michael sat alone on the front steps of the motel. He held his head in his hands.

"Hey, Mikey-Bear- er, Michael," Luke said. "Huh. I guess there's no need to pretend I was in love with you, since the competition's over."

Michael blinked. "You… You were pretending?"

"Oh, yeah," Luke agreed. "It was a ploy to make people underestimate me. Looks like it worked. No offence, of course, but nerds aren't my type."

"Well, I definitely underestimated you. We all did," Michael admitted. "It got you to the finale, right?"

"Yeah, but not far enough," Luke lamented. "I probably should have stuck with you and Ruby. The challenges were mostly athletic."

"You live, you learn. So what are you going to do now?" Michael asked sternly.

"Hm?" Luke was confused.

"Your mother. Ilyria mentioned her when she was eliminated, and Ruby confirmed it," Michael said. "Are you just going to give in to her?"

"There's a difference between acceptance and giving in," Luke replied. "I think I'll give her another shot. She might be a bit of a narcissist, but all in all, she's not so bad."

"You said she doesn't respect you," Michael pointed out.

"No, but she will. It's partially my fault- I haven't done anything with my life," Luke sighed. "Can't blame her for pointing it out."

"True," Michael agreed.

"But that changes today," Luke added.

It was Michael's turn to be confused. "What?"

Luke inspected his nails. "I have money to burn. I think I'll spend some of it flying you to Hollywood, where you can stay at the Cicero mansion. I think I'll spend some of it paying for your heart surgery. I think I'll spend some of it to buy a penny farthing."

Michael was shocked. " _What_?"

"You know, the bikes with the big wheel in the back and-"

"Not the bike," Michael spluttered. "You know about my heart problems and how I can't pay for them?"

"There were rumours," Luke simply stated. "I confronted Ruby earlier, and she spilled the beans. So yeah, that's what I'm doing."

Michael was speechless for a few seconds. "Th-thanks!" He finally said. Then, he did something unprecedented.

He smiled.

* * *

Confessional: Michael- 6th Place

"Luke might have played the game as a villain, but in my books, he's a hero. Or maybe an anti-hero. Either way, I'm both awed and excited by his generosity. I'm… happy."

* * *

Confessional: Luke- Runner Up

"Okay, I lied. I had eavesdropped on some of Ruby's and Michael's conversation during the course of the game. After my mother came, I decided that no matter if I won or not, I'd help Michael. One thing I'm learning is that you can't choose your family, but you always have the opportunity to earn their respect. And that's what I'll do. No more Hollywood brat Luke. Papa Lukey's turning over a brand new leaf, and helping Michael is just the first of many things you'll see from me."

* * *

John dashed through the door of a bedroom, where Spencer was sitting.

"D-did you drop the note?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, from the balcony, just like we said. I watched her pick it up. She should be here in no time."

"Awesome," Spencer said. "I'll get the words."

"I'll get the case," John said. The boys retrieved these things from opposite corners of the room.

A few seconds later, Connie entered. She saw the two boys and smiled. "I should've figured it was you two."

"Guilty," John grinned. "Take it away, Spencer."

Spencer gestured for Connie to sit down. "So you remember how I m-mentioned a poem once or twice?"

"Yeah," Connie agreed.

"Here's the full story. I was g-going to write a poem to ask you out, but then you got eliminated and I l-lost my nerve. When I got eliminated, you asked me out, right? So I had this unused p-poem. I mentioned it to John and he had the brilliant idea to put some music to it. S-so, now I have a s-song for you," Spencer said. "Ta-da!"

"Great!" Connie sat down. "Let's hear it."

Spencer pointed to John. "Give m-me the note."

John stunned a note on his guitar. Spencer cleared his throat. Then, John began to strum.

After four bars, Spencer started to sing.

 _"When I laid eyes on you for the first time,_

 _You took my breath away._

 _I must have done something to make you laugh,_

 _But I didn't know what to say._

 _But I knew I was falling, falling hard,_

 _Yeah, I knew I was falling for... you._

 _I knew I might not see you for a while,_

 _I think that's when I knew,_

 _I wanted to stay with you forever,_

 _'Cause how could I just leave you?_

 _And I knew I was falling, falling hard,_

 _Yeah, I knew I was falling for… you._

 _I_ _think that's why I tried to write this song._

 _I wanted you to see,_

 _All the money, diamonds, gold and silver,_

 _That's how much you mean to me._

 _So I know I'm still falling, falling hard,_

 _Yeah I know I'm still falling for… you."_

He finished with a bow, and waited expectantly for Connie's reaction.

Connie slowly said, "...You're a terrible singer." It was true. He had been pitchy and scratchy-voiced. "But that was beautiful! It was so _romantic_!"

"Yes!" Spencer said involuntarily.

"You never mentioned that you don't stutter when you sing," Connie said.

"I've never t-tried singing before," he admitted.

Connie turned to John. "And that music was incredible!"

John nodded. "About that. With your permission, can I put this song in my band's next album? You'll both receive royalties of it ends up hitting it big."

"Sure!" Connie said.

"Okay," Spencer agreed.

"Cool," John said. He checked his watch. "Oh! We should get down to the kitchen and eat something before we prepare the… surprise," he raised his eyebrows at Connie.

"Come on," Spencer pleaded. "You can tell me!"

"Nope," Connie shook her head. She stood and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you again for the song. I love it."

She and John left.

* * *

Confessional: Spencer- 11th Place

"She liked the song! She liked the song! I'm on c-cloud nine right now. Maybe I didn't win, but this is the n-next best thing. Probably better."

* * *

Confessional: Connie- 15th Place

"Part of being a comedian is always paying attention to the important things. Spencer's song was important to me. I'll treasure it forever."

* * *

Confessional: John- 17th Place

"Just call me matchmaker," then he frowns. "I guess they were already… Just call me matchkeeper."

* * *

In the staff camp, Chris was pacing back and forth on a cell phone.

"You accept?" Chris asked. "Awesome. See you."

He flipped the phone shut to see Logan, Beck, and Samantha standing in front of him.

"Come to pay up?" Chris grinned. "Kevin won, after all."

"Yep," Beck said. All three handed him a piece of paper, each of which read: IOU one third of a steak dinner at Carnoso Clyde's.

"Never bet against the house," Chris snickered.

"Who was on the phone, anyway?" Samantha asked bluntly. "Sounded important."

"Jamila," Chris explained.

"Kevin's cousin?" Logan asked. "What did she want?"

"It was Ozzy's idea, actually," Chris said. "He said Kevin mentioned financial problems, so he made a deal that he wouldn't arrest me on two conditions. The first was if I hired Jamila with a full salary. So she'll be helping host next season."

"They green-lit another season already?" Logan asked. "That was fast."

"This one generated record numbers," Chris said. "They were practically begging me to do another."

"Sure," Samantha said.

"What's the other condition?" Beck asked, somewhat nervously.

"Oh, it's just a small thing," Chris said. "He said I was firing too many interns. So on the new season I have to bring all of them back."

Beck's eyes widened. He glanced at Samantha. Then at Gabriel, who was several meters away. "...All of them?"

"All of them," Chris confirmed.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOO_!" Beck fell to his knees and threw his hands in the air.

They all stared at him.

* * *

Confessional: Beck

"It's official. The universe hates me."

* * *

As they stared at him, Irish came over with her arms crossed. "I'm sorry to break up this happy occasion," she snarked, "but the contestants are calling for you guys. Something about 'A surprise Chris would love'."

"Let's go," Chris jumped up. Flanked by all the interns, he walked over to the motel.

It was Connie who found there first. "Ah! Everyone follow me to the game room!"

They did so. Once they entered the game room, an interesting sight awaited them. Everyone's mattresses and bedding were lying on the floor, and the contestants were sitting together, facing the small TV on the wall.

Chris, Logan, and the interns all sat down. Then Connie went to the front and John stood.

"Welcome, everyone!" Connie said.

"We've brought you here so we can share one last experience as a group," John explained.

Connie nodded. "So, sit back and relax for the viewing of…"

"The Badminton Movie!" They said together.

"Really?" Chris said. "Awesome!"

"This is going to be epic," Addie grinned.

"It already was," Michael said, somewhat cryptically.

"Let's do it!" Nikki smiled.

Connie inserted the disc, and the film began to play.

* * *

 **The End.**

 **So, after nearly a year of writing, it's official: Kevin is the winner of Total Drama: The Curse of K'wala. It might not be the most unexpected decision, but I still think people are going to be satisfied. I want to keep this brief, so I'll just go over the basics.**

 **The Poll- Results as of August 6**

 **Kevin- 83%**

 **Luke- 17%**

 **Ruby- 0%**

 **Are you surprised? Personally, I was shocked at the number of supporters Kevin had. It was definitely influential on my choice of winner.**

 **Ruby- 3rd Place**

 **Ruby was submitted, with her sister Pearl, into the first SYOC I had ever written- the original K'wala Islands series. And she was even accepted into it before I changed the number of contestants on that season from 18 to 14. Not my best choice, and one I'll never repeat. I decided that if I ever wrote a sequel series, she would have to be in it. So, here she is. I was planning on writing her as the stereotypical shy character, but then I accepted Nikki, and I found Ruby's role evolving into a sort of reluctant villain, who was only sneaky for a good cause. Then with Arianna's and Luke's establishments as true antagonists around the merge, she was able to be portrayed in a way I truly felt suited her. In my drafts she's placed as low as 16th and as high as 1st, but I feel like, of the three slots, 3rd is the best for her.**

 **Luke- 2nd Place**

 **Of all the characters in this fic, I think I enjoyed writing Luke the most. His strategy of causing chaos while acting innocent was both a new one to write and to play around with, and I think the results were good. I'll admit, while his negative character development (if you re-read the first few chapters, you'll see what I'm saying) was planned, but the last minute positive character development (realizing the consequences of his actions and deciding to start to earn respect) was last-minute. Of note is the fact that until very recently, Luke was set to win (He takes second over Ruby because of this). But villain wins are always difficult, and I didn't feel like Luke was the right villain to win.**

 **Kevin- 1st Place**

 **Admit it- you saw this one coming from a mile away. I know I did. Kevin was another a great character to write, and that, combined with the fact that I wanted a winner as little like TDKI's original version as possible, led him to the win. The whole Lana plot originated from the fact that he was getting stale. It wasn't going to have so much importance, but I felt compelled to write it more and more, and it was just one of those things that made sense. So it happened. Hopefully it makes up for the fact that one (1) vote went Kevin's way- Renee's elimination. Every other time he went to an elimination ceremony, the person he voted for didn't go home. That was another unplanned thing. In nearly all my drafts of this, Kevin was planned to take second- Even in the one I had been using as I started to write the beginning of the finale. But I hope no one's complaining here.**

 **Something I Pulled From The Dark Corners of Google Docs:**

 **Here's something interesting: The original elimination order! Italics denote a character's placing that did _not_ change.**

 ** _18th- Connor._ 17th- Nikki. 16th- Renee.**

 **15th- John. 14th- Spencer. 13th- Abigail.**

 **12th- Connie. 11th- Madeline. 10th- Drew.**

 **9th- Michael. _8th- Addie._ 7th- Janson.**

 **6th- Ruby. 5th- Ilyria. 4th- Arianna.**

 **3rd- Luke. 2nd- Kevin. 1st- Faith.**

 **Your Turn!**

 **There's just a few questions here that I was hoping you guys could answer in your reviews. If not, that's cool, but I could use the feedback.**

 **1: (This is important because next season is Fans vs Faves… right now, at least) Who were your favourite two male characters and favourite two female characters?**

 **2: What was your favourite couple of the season? These can be ones that worked (Addie x Ilyria, Spencer x Connie, Beck x Nikki), or ones that didn't (Janson x Madeline, Kevin x Faith, Drew x Arianna)**

 **3: What was your favourite moment of the season? This can be literally anything (as long as it happened).**

 **4: In your opinion, what was the best strategic move this season?**

 **5: (If you had an OC in this fic) Were you satisfied with the way I portrayed your OC?**

 **6: Are you planning on reading Total Drama: The K'wala Islands Rewrite? (Just wondering who I can expect to see reviewing).**

 **And Finally…**

 **I'd like to give a GIANT thank you to all the people who read this story! It means a lot to me, honestly. I'm honoured that you took the time to read this.**

 **For the last time this season, takk skal du ha.**


	20. Whoops! Ignore this until I delete it!

Because I'm a huge moron, I posted the same chapter twice. And since I'm on mobile, I can't delete chapters. So just ignore this... I'll delete it eventually.


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